Virginia
Virginia has some special considerations that affect tropical cyclone-related rainfall. Mountains to the west act as a perfect mechanism for upward motion during sustained east winds, which can lead to flash flooding and landslides in that region (e.g. Hurricane Camille). As a tropical system approaches from the south, a frontal zone sets up between the moist Atlantic Ocean and the drier landmass to the west. This boundary can set up two or three days in advance of a tropical storm, and can lead up to prolonged heavy rains across coastal sections (e.g. Hurricane Floyd). As the cyclone advances north, the boundary will slowly shift west, but progresses west of a Richmond/Washington, D.C. line.
| Wettest tropical cyclones and their remnants in Virginia |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precipitation | Storm | Location | Ref | ||
| Rank | mm | in | |||
| 1 | 685.8 | 27.00 | Camille 1969 | West-Central Nelson County | |
| 2 | 532.4 | 20.96 | Lee 2011 | Colonial Beach | |
| 3 | 513.1 | 20.20 | Isabel 2003 | Upper Sherando | |
| 4 | 480.1 | 18.9 | Oct. 1942 T.S. | Big Meadows | |
| 5 | 457.2 | 18.0 | Ida 2009 | Hampton 1.8 NW | |
| 6 | 444.5 | 17.50 | Southeast hurricane 1940 | Keysville | |
| 7 | 431.3 | 16.98 | Floyd 1999 | Williamsburg 2 N | |
| 8 | 406.4 | 16.00 | Fran 1996 | Big Meadows | |
| 9 | 364.0 | 14.33 | Cleo 1964 | Back Bay Wildlife Refuge | |
| 10 | 346.7 | 13.65 | Agnes 1972 | Washington Dulles Airport | |
Read more about this topic: List Of Wettest Tropical Cyclones In The United States