Flash Flood — Avery, North Carolina

1998-01-07 to 1998-01-08 · near Plumtree, Avery, North Carolina

Event narrative

Major flooding, the worst since 1977, destroyed numerous homes and vehicles.

Wider weather episode

A powerful winter storm pumped abundant moisture on very strong southerly winds into western North Carolina. The result was nearly 15 million dollars in damage across the mountains and foothills as up to 15 inches of rain fell on the higher terrain, causing significant to major flooding and flash flooding. The Asheville Airport set a new record for 24 hour rainfall in the month of January with 4.42 inches. Where not specified above, the excessive rain caused creeks and streams to rise well out of their banks. This combined with the enormous amounts of run-off to cause numerous roads and bridges to be covered in water or washed out. The Blue Ridge Parkway in Haywood county sustained considerable damage. A few counties experienced widespread flooding for several hours before convective rain pushed north across the mountains, overwhelming already saturated ground and raging water basins. People in Avery , Mitchell and Yancey counties reported "a wall of water" that ripped through several communities. Rock and/or mudslides also occurred in Swain and Transylvania counties, adding to the work of clean-up crews. In addition, high gradient winds of at least 55 mph blew numerous trees and power lines down. Especially hard hit was Transylvania county where hundreds of trees fell, some on homes, and power was out for much of the population until well into the the next day.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5628664. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.