Heavy Rain — Ashe, North Carolina

2024-05-26 · near Smethport, Ashe, North Carolina

Event narrative

A personal automated weather station (Weather Underground:KNCWESTJ54) measured 3.19 inches of rainfall during 60 minute period, the result of thunderstorms training across the area. This rainfall amount during this duration has a 100-year average recurrence interval per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Estimates.

Wider weather episode

Flash flooding was observed across central Ashe County, including in the Towns of West Jefferson and Warrensville, due to heavy runoff from about three inches of rain falling within one hour per multiple personal weather stations within the area. The three inches of rain during one hour has between a 50 and a 100-year ARI (Average Recurrence Interval) per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Rainfall rates from personal weather stations in the area were measured at times to be anywhere from three to as high as six inches per hour. On Tuesday, June 18, 2024, NC Governor Roy Cooper signed a state disaster declaration for the town of West Jefferson that suffered damages this event.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (36.4150, -81.4980)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1176247. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.