BACK BAY — A windy, stormy patch midmonth hit different parts of the city in different ways, but about five days of sustained winds from the northeast dramatically blew water out of Back Bay and nearby areas.
That left waterways in the southern city in and around the bay unusually – and sometimes a bit surreally – empty.
Essentially, it was a reverse of the conditions that cause flooding in southern Virginia Beach, when winds from the south push water up from Currituck Sound into the bay — and, often, right over banks to local ditches, roads and yards.
“It just kept blowing from the north, and it blew everything to the Currituck,” said C.J. Bodnar, technical services program manager for the city Public Works Stormwater Engineering Center, on Wednesday, May 18.
“It works the exact opposite way when the winds blow from the north, and it blew at over 12 knots for a long period of time,” Bodnar said. “When it blows from the north like that, it’s going to blow it out.”
Though relatively rare, this sort of thing has happened, but the winds that pushed water to the south were sustained over roughly five days. That made for views of wide stretches of emptiness where there is normally bay, nearly waterless creeks and low areas that attracted gawkers and, as happened near Lotus Creek Park, opportunistic shorebirds.
“That more than likely has contributed to what’s happened,” he said by phone Friday, May 13. “It’s all been related to this coastal low that’s lingered off shore all week.”
Daniel Maitland of Blackwater visited the Mill Landing boat ramp in Back Bay early on Friday, May 13, and he ended up carrying a metal detector well out into an area normally covered by water.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it this low,” he said, though he expected waters to start returning as the wind changed.
Bodnar said data shows sustained winds between Sunday, May 8 and Friday, May 13. A gauge at Beggars Bridge Creek showed sustained winds between two and 10 miles per hour, though it did not track gusts. Water levels dropped more than three feet.
Bodnar said the city is always looking for photographs showing flooding and storm information via email to stormpics@vbgov.com. Images help the city verify data and modeling related to weather events.
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