Flood — Catawba, North Carolina

2013-05-06 to 2013-05-07 · near Claremont, Catawba, North Carolina

Event narrative

The gauge on Lookout Shoals Lake crested at a stage of 106.98 feet during the mid afternoon hours of the 6th. The lake only slowly receded over the next few days. Several residences were flooded along the lake. Some of the worst flooding was along Ridge Street in the Carpenter's Cove area as well as Longfield Street and Overlook Drive. In total, 21 homes suffered significant flood damage along the lake, while an additional 32 received minor damage.

Wider weather episode

A strong upper low slowly lifted northeast across the southern Appalachian Mountains over the 3 day period. While precipitable water values were not particularly strong with the low, a strong low level jet in advance of the system brought strong moisture transport and orographic ascent to the region, centered over the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The hardest hit areas saw between 4 and 7 inches of rain over a two day period, resulting in a widespread duration flood event. Mainstem rivers and reservoirs were also significantly affected by prolonged period of heavy rain.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (35.7690, -81.1200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 457852. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.