RAIN, MELTING SNOW RAISE FLOODING FEARS

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

DATE: WEDNESDAY, March 24, 1993                   TAG: 9303240172
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C1   EDITION: STATE 
SOURCE: STEPHEN FOSTER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium
RAIN, MELTING SNOW RAISE FLOODING FEARS
Tuesday's 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.
"You can't predict it," Martin said. "That's a mean river. . . . The flood of 1985 really put a scare in people."
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. The rain is 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. It is expected to crest this afternoon a foot or two above flood stage. Melting snow runoff and saturated grounds could contribute to potential flooding.
The river was running about 2 1/2 feet above normal levels before the rain began falling.
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.
A spokesman at the Charleston center did say, however, that if specific areas receive thunderstorms and the added precipitation that comes with them, flooding could occur.
A dispatcher in Carroll County said standing water made some roads and bridges hazardous Tuesday night.
The Maury River at Buena Vista was expected to crest this afternoon at 17 feet - its flood stage.
The Dan River was predicted to rise to its 11-foot flood stage at about daybreak today, then crest around 12-13 feet about midnight tonight.

by Archana Subramaniam by CNB