![]() ![]() With events like those in August 1940 and even July 1916 in our record books, it was clear in 2004 that heavy rain and flooding was a risk in the Mountains. In that part of the state, the storms of 2004 conjured up memories of 1940, when the remnants of an August hurricane lingered over the Mountains, dropping more than a foot of rain and causing more than 2,000 landslides and 14 deaths in Watauga County alone. (Photo by Steve Dixon/Asheville Citizen Times)ĭespite avoiding the worst of the flooding, the northern Mountains also had extreme rainfall during the three events, which totaled 23.01 inches in Boone - the wettest month on record at that site as well. Along with the 13 tornadoes from Frances and the seven from Jeanne as far east as Martin County, every region of the state felt some effects from these three storms.įlooding near Rosman in Transylvania County after Jeanne. Trees and power lines in the rain-weakened ground were easily toppled by Ivan’s gusty winds, knocking out power to nearly 85,000 Progress Energy customers in western North Carolina.Įlsewhere in the state, the Gulf moisture Ivan brought in fueled severe thunderstorms that spawned four tornadoes. When it reached the Peeks Creek community in the valley below, it destroyed 15 homes and killed five people. A debris flow on Fishhawk Mountain rushed 2,200 feet downhill, carrying several feet of mud and 16-ton boulders at speeds of more than 30 mph. The most significant - and the most deadly - occurred in southeastern Macon County. There were about 400 reported between the two storms in North Carolina. ![]() The waterlogged soils could hardly handle the additional moisture, finishing the job Frances had started in causing landslides and debris flows. Overall, amounts in western North Carolina were generally between 6 to 10 inches, although distinguishing the effects of Ivan’s precipitation compared to Frances’ was mostly academic since such little time passed between the two storms. The greatest rainfall totals came across the southern Mountains, with up to 17 inches at Cruso in Haywood County. Ivan was a Category-3 at landfall near Mobile, AL, but its remnants turned northeastward - again along the western edge of the upper-level ridge - to track along the North Carolina-Tennessee border on September 17. It was farther south than Frances had been, but still bound for a similar destination. Hurricane IvanĪs Frances was headed out of North Carolina on September 8, Hurricane Ivan was nearing Category-5 status over the Caribbean Sea. Another one that would bring even more water was lurking just around the corner. Only one week into the month, the Mountains had already had a historic, memorable storm. (Photo by Bill Sanders, Asheville Citizen Times)Ī torrent of water rushing through the North Fork Reservoir washed out a pipeline to the city and cut off the drinking water supply, while up to five feet of flooding hit homes and businesses.Ī number of debris flows were triggered by wet weather weakening embankments, including one on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Mount Mitchell and a rockslide on Interstate 40 east of Asheville. It was a pattern that held for much of the month, meaning storms traveling along that conveyor belt tended to follow a similar track.įlooding at Biltmore Village in Asheville after Frances. ![]() After crossing the peninsula, Frances moved over the Gulf of Mexico as a tropical storm but did not restrengthen before hitting the panhandle.īy then, Frances was headed due north, traveling around the periphery of an upper-level high pressure system off the Southeast coast. The first of the three systems to develop was Frances, which became a tropical storm midway across the Atlantic on August 25 and was a major hurricane just two days later.įrances reached Florida’s southern coast on September 5 at Category-2 strength. Excess moisture had nowhere to go between storms, and on the mountain slopes, what falls from up above must come down - to rivers, towns, and roads dotting the terrain. In August alone, Alex grazed the Outer Banks as a Category-2, while the remnants of Bonnie, Charley, and Gaston also moved up the Coastal Plain.īut the three storms in the western part of the state were the most damaging, in part because of their individual impacts but also because of the collective ones. In that stormy summer 15 years ago, there were 15 named storms in the Atlantic, seven of which affected North Carolina in some way. The remnants of Frances, Ivan, and Jeanne all crossed the Carolinas over the span of three weeks, causing flooding, landslides, and the wettest month ever in the western part of our state. ![]()
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