During the early morning hours of August 28th, a ribbon of heavy showers spawned just above the southern West Virginia coalfields and propagated northeastward into the central portions of the state. An inverted surface trough feature festered over the Central Appalachians and was the primary culprit behind this swath of slow moving and heavy rainfall. Precipitation amounts recorded by local weather stations were on the upward of 3 to 5 inches from Lincoln and Boone County all the way up to Braxton County. This brought upon an extensive amount of flood damage across the state as creeks and streams were quickly inundated with water, spilling onto local roads and into nearby homes. Previous rainfall from August 26th did not help matters, as the ground had little time to recover and could not support the quick inundation of rain on the morning of the 28th.
The hardest hit area from this event took place in eastern Kanawha County, where the Winifrede, Coal Grove, and Chelyan areas observed million dollars worth of flood damage. An NWS Storm Survey team went out to these areas the next day to see first hand the amount of damage caused by the flooding. In Kanawha County alone, 3 homes were deemed destroyed, along with a fire station and a local church. An additional 50 to 100 homes observed at least minor to major flooding due to the close proximity of the houses to the swollen creeks, including Slaughter Creek, Kelleys Creek, Little Creek, and Fields Creek. Several cars were swept up by the floodwaters and became submerged in the creeks, while many of the roads within the local communities were washed out and destroyed. At the time of the Storm Survey, crews from the West Virginia Department of Highways were diligently working to put down temporary gravel in order to allow trapped residents to be able to safely evacuate. A section of railroad tracks were washed out and destroyed in Winifrede near the destroyed volunteer fire station along Fields Creek. Numerous sheds and trailer homes were lifted off of their foundations and moved several feet by the fast moving water. Many of the creeks remained out of their banks into the afternoon and evening hours on the 28th, with the restoration process ongoing for days to weeks to come due to the severity of the damage.
In Calhoun County, flash flooding took place as a result of the headwaters of the Little Kanawha River. This yielded a handful of homes observing major flooding damage. The Little Kanawha remained out of its banks into the evening of August 28th, continuing to spill water onto portions of Route 16. Over in Clay County, a few trouble spots arose as several creeks rose out of their banks and caused high water issues along nearby roadways.
From a statewide perspective, around 40 private bridges were destroyed in West Virginia. Over 5 million dollars worth of damage was noted across the hardest hit areas.

Flash Flood in BOONE, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 06:17:00 to 28-AUG-23 12:15:00 (EST-5)
Location: ANDREW
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 40.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

In Danville, Drawdy Creek rose out of its banks and inflicted water to spill onto the roadway at Arvle Lane. A water rescue was conducted to help a citizen trapped in their home. Two other water rescues occurred along Coal River Road in the town of Seth. Sections of Three Fork Road were washed out along with several culverts in the Hopkins Fork area. At least 7 homes were impacted by high water issues in the county, with two of those homes deemed to have observed major flooding impacts.

Flash Flood in BOONE, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 07:15:00 to 28-AUG-23 12:15:00 (EST-5)
Location: ANDREW
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 0.50K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: 911 Call Center

High water was observed along Honeyfork Road in the Foster township.

Flash Flood in CLAY, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 06:50:00 to 28-AUG-23 11:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: FLOE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 1.50K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Nebo Walker Road observed high water issues along several spots as a result of Dawson Fork Creek and Stinson Creek rising out of its banks. Near the town of Big Otter, Murphy Fork also rose out of its banks and caused flooding along Clinic Road and Big Otter Road.

Flash Flood in CALHOUN, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 07:00:00 to 28-AUG-23 11:30:00 (EST-5)
Location: MINNORA
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 10.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

Stinson Creek and the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River rose out of its banks and caused flooding to occur at the intersection of Route 16 and Stinson Road near the Stinson grocery store. Several people were trapped in their homes due to high water between Minnora and Chloe along Route 16. Around eight homes were affected by minor flooding issues. Also along Route 16, up to two feet of water was observed in the Chloe Auto and Hardware store.

Flash Flood in KANAWHA, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 07:15:00 to 28-AUG-23 11:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: CLENDENIN
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 1.50K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: 911 Call Center

North of Clendenin, high water was observed near the intersection of Thorofare Road and Bethmont Drive. Additional high water observations were noted near the Clendenin Volunteer Fire Department along Maywood Avenue East.

Flash Flood in KANAWHA, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 07:30:00 to 28-AUG-23 13:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: DAWES
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 2.50K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: 911 Call Center

Both Cabin Creek Road and Stockholm Street were inundated with water in Sharon. The roads were closed at the WV Turnpike entrance and exit ramps due to inaccessibility. A water rescue was also conducted to save a trapped motorist.

Flood in CALHOUN, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 14:33:00 to 28-AUG-23 23:41:00 (EST-5)
Location: MILO
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 3.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Public

The Little Kanawha River remained out of its banks through the evening of August 28th and continued to spill onto sections of Route 16 between Orma and Chloe.

Flood in KANAWHA, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 12:58:00 to 28-AUG-23 15:45:00 (EST-5)
Location: CHESAPEAKE
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 3.00K
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Fields Creek remained above its banks into the afternoon of August 28th, with water continuing to spill onto Fields Creek Road, primarily in the neighborhood near the entrance of the road where it intersects with MacCorkle Avenue.

Flash Flood in KANAWHA, WEST VIRGINIA
From 28-AUG-23 05:30:00 to 28-AUG-23 11:00:00 (EST-5)
Location: HERNSHAW
Flood cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: 4.50M
Crop damage: 0.00K
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey

Extensive flooding damage was observed in different neighborhoods within the Chelyan and Cedar Grove townships.
On the Cedar Grove side of the Kanawha River, many homes were surrounded by water as Kelleys Creek rose out of its banks. The NWS Storm Survey crew noted a few areas along Horsemill Hollow Road that were washed out as the creek curved in and around the roadway. Department of Highways crews were quickly attempting to put gravel on the road to ensure a way for citizens that live up along Horsemill Hollow Road to evacuate, otherwise they were trapped due to the obstruction of the road. A water rescue was conducted on William Street as parts of East Dupont Avenue also were inundated with water.
In Witcher Creek, main structural damage was noted to be storage sheds coming off of its foundation due to the intensity of the high water, some of which also entered into a trailer home along Witcher Creek Road. This house was deemed to have major damage as much of the items of the home were destroyed and being thrown out. A handful of cars were also lodged into Witcher Creek and were waiting to be removed as the Storm Survey team passed through the area.
Traveling up the road along Route 60, a few other trouble spots arose in between Chesapeake, Belle, and Dickinson. High water laid along the parking lot of Riverside High School, causing the school, and other local elementary schools that dealt with high water issues, to close for the day.
Another area that was hit hard by the heavy rain was on the other side of the Kanawha River in Chelyan. Slaughter Creek and Little Creek quickly rose out of their banks and resulted in major flooding along the local roadways, including Slaughter Creek Road, Little Creek Road, Cooper Hollow Road, and Fields Creek Road. This area of the county was where the most substantial flooding seemed to have occurred, with three local homes destroyed due to the high water levels.
In the area of Fields Creek, a trailer was ripped off of its foundation at the entrance of Fields Creek Road and looked to have been transported a few feet away when the creek was out of its banks. Several cars were submerged in the mud along Fields Creek Road and a few low lying homes observed major flooding in their basements and garages. Old Glory Road was also completely washed out.
Due to the close proximity of Little Creek Church to Little Creek, the damage was noted to be unsalvageable and would likely have to be demolished. The Chesapeake Volunteer Fire Department, located along Cooper Hollow Road and Old Glory Road, suffered substantial structural damage as a result of the creek rising out of its banks, most likely condemning the building along with losing the fire engine that was stored in the garage of the station. Local residents that live up Cooper Hollow Road were trapped for over 24 hours in their homes as a result of the road becoming washed out.
Outside of the three homes, fire station, and church being destroyed, 22 homes were deemed to have major flooding damage, and an additional 88 homes who observed minor flooding issues.