A Flash Flood Warning is active right now for central Roane County, southern Calhoun County, and central Jackson County in West Virginia, issued by the National Weather Service in Charleston at 1:37 AM EDT on Sunday, September 21, 2026, and running until 6:30 AM EDT. Doppler radar shows thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area, and flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. For restoration contractors, this is the overnight call-driver: interior water intrusion, saturated basements, and the sewage-backup jobs that follow every hard rain over small creeks and low-lying neighborhoods.
This is a live snapshot as of about 2:00 AM EDT on September 21, 2026. Conditions change fast — always verify with the National Weather Service for your specific county or ZIP code.
Roane, Calhoun & Jackson Counties — Flash Flood Warning
The National Weather Service in Charleston (KRLX) issued Flash Flood Warning FFWRLX at 1:37 AM EDT, Sunday, September 21, 2026, valid until 6:30 AM EDT. The warning covers:
- Central Roane County in central West Virginia
- Southern Calhoun County in north central West Virginia
- Central Jackson County in northwestern West Virginia
Hazard, verbatim from the alert: “Flash flooding caused by thunderstorms.” Detection is radar indicated. At 1:37 AM EDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain across the warned area, with up to 1 inch of rain having already fallen. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.
Expected impacts, per NWS: flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses, as well as other poor-drainage and low-lying areas.
Locations that will experience flash flooding include: Ripley, Spencer, Arnoldsburg, Gay, Statts Mills, Fairplain, Orma, Millstone, and Evans. The warning also includes Interstate 77 in West Virginia between mile markers 131 and 140 — anyone traveling that corridor overnight should expect standing water on the roadway and be ready to reroute.
The NWS instruction is direct: “Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.” Report flooding to the National Weather Service by calling toll free 800-401-9535 when you can do so safely.
Alert source: the NWS Charleston office page at weather.gov/rlx and the active alert on api.weather.gov.
Stay safe tonight
Flash flood warnings at 1:37 AM are the ones that catch people in their cars and in their basements. If you encounter a flooded road, do not attempt to cross it — six inches of fast-moving water can knock an adult down, and a foot of water will float most vehicles. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Turn around.
If water is entering your home: stay out of standing water where electricity may be present. Avoid the basement until water recedes and the power is confirmed off. Photograph everything before you start cleanup — room by room, water lines on walls, affected belongings. That documentation is what your insurance adjuster works from. Then call a local restoration contractor: water left sitting starts a second wave of damage within a day, and mold can begin in 24–48 hours.
If you live near one of the named creeks or in a low-lying area of Ripley or Spencer, move valuables to higher ground now rather than waiting for the next radar update.
What this means for restoration teams
This is the signature overnight water event: radar-indicated heavy rain already on the ground, small creeks and streams as the flood mechanism, urban areas and underpasses named as impact points. The job mix this produces is well understood — and it is exactly what central West Virginia restoration contractors see most:
- Interior water intrusion through foundation walls, window wells, and basement entries in Ripley, Spencer, and the smaller communities along the warned creeks.
- Saturated drywall and insulation where water wicks up from floors — the hidden job that turns into the mold call three days later if it isn’t moisture-mapped on the first visit.
- Sewage backup in low-lying areas — flash flooding of poor-drainage neighborhoods routinely pushes sewer laterals back into basements. These are the Category 3 jobs that need to be triaged fast and scoped correctly.
- Roadway and underpass damage along the I-77 corridor between mile markers 131 and 140 — expect municipal and commercial calls in addition to residential.
The play: stage equipment now, not at 8 AM. Pre-position drying assets and keep an on-call rotation through the morning — water-intrusion calls typically start within hours of water receding and keep coming for days as people discover damage. Capture the address, water source, and affected areas on the first call. In the field: photo-document before mitigation begins, moisture-map every affected room (not just the wet one), and keep the homeowner’s payment responsibility clear in writing before work starts. The contractor who answers at 5 AM gets the job the 9 AM contractor never sees.
Local emergency contacts
Insufficient data to list verified county emergency management contacts for this post — check your county’s emergency management office website or call 911 for life-threatening emergencies. Never invent a contact number; if none can be verified, this section stands as a reminder to program your own county EMA number now, before you need it.
FEMA & federal assistance
If the flooding causes major damage, federal help may become available. The FEMA Helpline is 1-800-621-3362 (7 a.m.–10 p.m. local time, 7 days a week). You can also apply through DisasterAssistance.gov, the FEMA app, or find a recovery center at fema.gov/drc. Basic eligibility: citizenship or qualified status, identity verification, proof of occupancy or ownership, and unmet needs not covered by insurance. Apply as soon as it’s safe to do so — and document your losses with photos now, not later.
Looking ahead
The warning runs until 6:30 AM EDT. When it expires, the danger does not end with the last raindrop: small creeks and streams in Roane, Calhoun, and Jackson counties can continue rising after the rain stops, and low-lying roads may stay flooded into the morning commute. Watch for additional rounds of storms overnight — one inch has already fallen, and saturated ground converts every additional cell into runoff. The next NWS update will land on the Charleston office page and at weather.gov.
Demand-window note for contractors: the first wave of calls usually arrives within hours of water receding, and the second wave — mold, warping, musty odors — arrives 3–7 days later as hidden saturation reveals itself. Contractors who moisture-map on day one own the follow-up work on day seven.
Sources & how to verify
- The NWS alert itself: api.weather.gov alert feed
- Issuing office: NWS Charleston, WV (KRLX)
To verify for your own county or ZIP code, go to weather.gov and enter your location, or check the NWS Charleston office page linked above for the latest active warnings.
This post is for informational purposes and is not an official weather warning. Always follow instructions from local authorities and the National Weather Service.
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