Flash Flood — Avery, North Carolina

2022-11-11 · near Newland, Avery, North Carolina

Event narrative

County comms and stream gauges indicated flash flooding developed across Avery County after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell across the eastern half of the county in around 24 hours, with 1 to 2 inches of that falling in a couple of hours during the late morning and early afternoon. Multiple roads were closed due to high water including Greene Rd and Puckett Rd (due to flooding along the Elk River). Multiple other streams were impacted in the Banner Elk area, where at least one building was surrounded by floodwater. A stream gauge on the North Toe River in Newland also exceeded its established flood stage indicating inundation of Linville St.

Wider weather episode

Unseasonably high moisture interacted with a stationary, weakening frontal boundary to produce heavy rainfall across western North Carolina throughout the 11th. Flash flooding developed along several basins across the northern mountains after 4 to 7 inches of rain fell in around 24 hours, with roughly half of that falling within a few hours during the morning.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.0890, -81.9420)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1067811. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.