“Heavy rain is hitting Virginia, with flash floods already reported in SWVA. Stay alert — don’t fight the water, just leave, and call for help. First responders, rescue crews, law enforcement, VDOT, and the VA National Guard are deployed. Your safety is our top priority,” he wrote.

Terrifying footage shared by residents on Twitter reveals the power of the floodwaters, with entire properties nearly swallowed by the rising tide.

One video captures a woman filming from her porch as muddy water rushes past her home. While her property was soaked, she managed to avoid the worst of it, unlike the surrounding area where cars and buildings were almost entirely submerged.

She then points toward a local Dollar General at the end of the street—now barely recognizable apart from its roof—as floodwaters rise halfway up a nearby bank building.

The National Weather Service’s (NWS) Blacksburg office in Virginia reported: “At 5:22 p.m. EST, Doppler radar indicated heavy rain across the warned area, which is already experiencing saturated soils and swollen rivers. Between 1.5 and 2 inches of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is up to 1 inch per 1 hour.

“Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is already occurring.”

According to WJHL’s Storm Team 11 Forecast, the heavy rain is expected to continue today (February 16), with a “slight to moderate risk of flash flooding across the area through Sunday morning.”