Flood — Haywood, North Carolina

2004-09-16 to 2004-09-17 · Haywood, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

After an extended period of moderate to heavy rainfall, flooding developed first across the western part of the county, when several secondary roads became covered with water. During the overnight hours, flooding overspread the county, affecting most valley communities, which endured the second devastating flood event in just 9 days. Severe flooding developed first along Allens and Hyatt Creeks, followed by another round of severe flooding along the Pigeon River, which reached a record of 23 feet in Canton. A 69-year-old woman died when she attempted to drive her vehicle through the flooded river in Canton. A 27-year-old woman and her 4-year-old son were also killed during the evening of the 18th, when the woman attempted to drive her SUV through the flooded Pigeon River which was flowing over a Forest Service road off of I-40. Numerous businesses and hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed by flood water or landslides. The river washed out a large portion of interstate 40 near the Tennessee border. Numerous other roads and highways were damaged in places, including highways 209, 215, 19, and 276.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5423313. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.