Flash Flood in Orange County, North Carolina

Heavy rain (4-5 inches) resulted in extensive flooding in the city of Chapel Hill. The first floor of the Town Hall flooded and may be closed for up to a year for repairs. Franklin Street saw widespread flooding, with water above the windows of cars in several locations and some businesses also being impacted. Several buildings on the University of North Carolina had water in them, including the bottom floor of Granville Tower. Another area of the city that experienced flooding was the East Gate Shopping Center, where water entered several businesses and stranded many cars in the parking lot. One hard hit residential areas was along Estes Drive near Highway 15-501, where the Camelot Village Condominiums experienced extensive flooding. In fact, 76 out of 116 units flooded. Another residential area that experienced flooding was the Airport Gardens Public Housing Neighborhood, where 18 out of the 26 units flooded. Due to the flooding, the county qualified for state and federal aid.

The forecast area remained sandwiched between an unseasonably deep trough aloft to the west and a ridge to the east. This resulted in a persistent very moist air mass and with soils already saturated, two rounds of heavy rain resulted in flash flooding, first in the early morning hours across Durham and Orange counties and later in the day across the same area, with additional flooding in Chatham, Anson and Stanly counties. Chapel Hill and Carrboro experienced the most significant flooding, with substantial property damage occurring. In addition, as afternoon destabilization occurred, a couple of storms became severe and produced some isolated wind damage.