Flood in McDowell County, North Carolina

Stream gauges on the Catawba River in central McDowell County briefly exceeded flood stage after 3 to 5 inches of rain fell in around 12 hours. Multiple low water crossings and several campgrounds along the river were inundated with a couple of feet of water. Some water may have briefly entered basements and crawl spaces of a few homes along the river. At least one tributary of the Catawba (Cane Creek) also overflowed its banks, inundating Chelsey Dr and McCoy Rd in the Greenlee community.

A major/complex frontal system brought widespread rain with embedded thunderstorms to western North Carolina, mainly during the afternoon of the 9th. Widespread rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches (with locally higher amounts) in around 12 hours resulted in numerous reports of flooding. Isolated severe thunderstorms also resulted in a number of damaging wind gusts reports over the Piedmont, along with an EF1 tornado that impacted portions of Catawba and Iredell Counties.