RAIN, MELTING SNOW RAISE FLOODING FEARS

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 24, 1993                   TAG: 9303240271
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
RAIN, MELTING SNOW RAISE FLOODING FEARS
The changing of winter into spring brings warmer days - and weather crises of a different nature.
Such was the case Tuesday when rain coupled with grounds wet from melting snow prompted the National Weather Service to issue flood watches for Southwest Virginia.
Watches were issued for Henry, Franklin, Craig, Roanoke, Botetourt, Patrick, Carroll, Montgomery, Pulaski, Giles, Bland, Wythe, Floyd and Grayson counties.
The most urgent predictions were aimed at the James River in Buchanan.
The town's fire chief, Freddy Martin, said crews had moved food stands off the carnival grounds in a flood-prone area and had notified residents on Low Street, but no evacuations or major measures were under way Tuesday night.
He said officials would monitor the situation through the night.
The National Weather Service was predicting the James to crest this afternoon about 10 feet above its banks. Because it runs through more-mountainous areas with plenty of melting snow, flooding near the James could be worse than along the Roanoke River.
The predictions were based on continued rainfall of 1 to 2 inches through this morning, the Weather Service said. Tuesday night, Roanoke had received 1.29 inches. The rain was expected to taper off this afternoon.
The National Weather Service at Roanoke and at Charleston, W.Va., predicted that the Roanoke River could produce some minor flooding.
The river was running about 2 1/2 feet above normal levels before the rain began falling.
Roanoke and Vinton authorities closed several roads Tuesday night that normally flood easily, dispatchers said. Riverview Road near Roanoke Memorial Hospital, the Wise Avenue Bridge and portions of Walnut and 13th streets were closed.
The Weather Service issued flash-flood warnings Tuesday night for Roanoke, Wythe, Henry and Franklin counties and Martinsville after reports of small streams flooding in those areas. The warnings were to last only a few hours.
The New River was not expected to flood, but was rising and was expected to reach levels of three-fourths to the top of its banks.
At Radford, where the flood stage is 14 feet, the river was running about half-full at 5 p.m., with flooding unlikely.
However, dispatchers in Giles, Pulaski and Carroll counties and Blacksburg reported several roads closed due to flooding Tuesday night, and standing water on other roads was making travel potentially hazardous.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB