Flood — Burke, North Carolina

2023-12-26 · near Joy, Burke, North Carolina

Event narrative

A stream gauge on Johns River exceeded its established flood stage after 5 to 7 inches of rain fell over the headwaters in about 24 hours. Portions of Johns River Rd were inundated as was Corpening Bridge Rd. Additionally, media reported Spainhour Rd was flooded by a tributary of Warrior Fork.

Wider weather episode

A strong area of low pressure and associated frontal system brought heavy rain to the mountains and foothills of North Carolina rom Christmas night into the 26th. A swath of 5 to 7 inches of rain fell along and close to the Blue Ridge escarpment in about 24 hours. This resulted in localized flooding across the foothills and in the southern mountains. This event followed one of the driest autumns on record across the area, so flooding was not as bad as it would have usually been with these rainfall amounts.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.8840, -81.7240)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1154055. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.