Flash Flood — Elbert, Georgia

2021-10-07 · near Bowman, Elbert, Georgia

Event narrative

County comms and stream gauges reported significant flash flooding developed along multiple streams in northern Elbert County. Four to seven inches fell across the area in around a 24-hour period, but the bulk of that fell with a cluster of slow-moving thunderstorms during the morning of the 7th. Multiple roads were damaged from flood water, including Dusty Rd (from Butler Creek), where a vehicle was driven into high water and three occupants required rescue, Allen White Rd (from Deep Creek), Blue Hole Rd (from Little Dove Creek), Gin Bridge Rd, and Green Acres Rd (from a tributary of Pickens Creek). Additionally, a stream gauge on Beaverdam Creek north of Elberton indicated major flooding and a record stream level for the gauge (data from this gauge dates back to the late 1980s.) Multiple roads along the stream were damaged in Dewy Rose and vicinity, including Brickyard Rd, Horse Farm Rd, and Winns Mill Rd, while major damage occurred to a vacant building.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving area of upper level low pressure over the Mid-Mississippi Valley pumped semi-tropical weather into north Georgia for a couple of days, resulting in occasional rounds of moderate to heavy in the day leading up to the 7th. Scattered slow-moving thunderstorm clusters developed over the Piedmont during the morning of the 7th, producing torrential rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour and total rainfall amounts of 3 to 7 inches, much of which fell in just 2 to 3 hours. This excessive rainfall resulted in flash flooding of a number of creeks and other small streams.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (34.1940, -83.0760)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 988934. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.