Headline:
Flood Warning issued September 26 at 1:11AM EDT until September 30 at 2:00PM EDT by NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SC
Event:
Flood Warning
Urgency:
Immediate
Effective:
September 25, 2024 - 10:11pm
Expires:
September 29, 2024 - 5:15pm
Description:
...The Flood Warning is extended for the following rivers in North
Carolina...
French Broad River At Marshall affecting Madison County.
French Broad River At Blantyre affecting Henderson and
Transylvania Counties.
French Broad River At Asheville affecting Buncombe County.
French Broad River Near Fletcher affecting Henderson and Buncombe
Counties.
French Broad River Near Hot Springs affecting Madison County.
Swannanoa River At Biltmore affecting Buncombe County.
.The first round of heavy rainfall is underway across the French
Broad River and Swannanoa River valleys and resulted in a quick 2-5"
along the entire reach of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers
Wednesday evening. This resulted in a quick and significant rise of
these rivers to near or just above Action/Advisory Stage, which is
the level at which nuisance flooding begins. With this initial
response, the rivers are now going to be very sensitive to new
rounds of heavy rainfall, which are expected to return to the region
overnight tonight into Thursday morning. Both rivers may exceed
Minor Flood Stage fairly quickly in response to any new areas of
persistent heavy rainfall that develops. Therefore, while the
current crests have not changed due to a general persistence in the
forecasted rainfall, the time at which Minor Flood Stage is exceeded
has been moved to an earlier time to account for the quick rises
from Wednesday evening.
The current round of heavy rainfall, resulting from tropical
moisture interacting with a stationary front, will persist through
Thursday morning, while the second round of heavy rainfall is
expected to begin Thursday night and last through Friday morning
associated with Hurricane Helene. Considerable to catastrophic
Moderate to Major flooding across much of the French Broad River and
Swannanoa River valleys is expected as a result of extremely rare
rainfall. This flooding has the potential to rival the Major,
catastrophic flooding observed in September 2004 from Hurricanes
Frances and Ivan, especially from the French Broad River headwaters
near Rosman and Blantyre to Asheville.
This flooding will shutdown numerous roadways. Several roadways
will experience strong and damaging streamflows, likely causing
damage to roadway infrastructure including culverts and bridges.
Primary roadways that do not typically flood will likely flood,
resulting in very significant impacts to travel. Travel may become
very difficult and dangerous. Numerous structures, including homes
and businesses, are likely to be inundated as a result of Major
flooding. Many structures may become uninhabitable and some
structures may become completely destroyed due to ruinous flooding.
There is a potential for crests to exceed the current forecast
crests. Confidence in significant rainfall is very high, but small
reductions or increases in storm-total rainfall may result in
notable changes to the forecast crests. It is absolutely imperative
that you maintain awareness of the latest forecasts and plan NOW to
respond to the worst-case scenario for your area.
* WHAT...Major flooding is forecast. IMPORTANT: The forecast crest
exceeds the flood of record.
* WHERE...French Broad River near Fletcher.
* WHEN...From early this morning to early Monday afternoon.
* IMPACTS...At 20.0 feet, Major Flood Stage. Significant and
damaging flooding of the French Broad River Valley is likely from
Etowah upstream to Avery Creek and Biltmore Park downstream of the
gauge site.
* At 20.1 feet, Record Flood Stage. Floodwaters are approaching
levels similar to those levels observed in during Hurricane
Frances in early September, 2004.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 12:00 AM EDT Thursday the stage was 10.7 feet and rising
slowly.
- Action/Advisory Stage is 10.0 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to rise above Minor Flood
Stage late this morning and above Major Flood Stage early
Friday morning to a crest of 22.0 feet early Friday
afternoon. It will then fall below Minor Flood Stage late
Sunday morning.
NOTE: There is a potential for the crest to approach 23.5
feet.
- Minor Flood Stage is 13.0 feet.
Moderate Flood Stage is 17.0 feet.
Major Flood Stage is 20.0 feet.
- Flood History...This crest exceeds a previous crest of 20.1
feet on 09/08/2004 from Hurricane Frances. Unprecedented
flooding is expected.
- Http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
Instruction:
This is an incredibly dangerous situation. Rainfall and resultant
flooding has the potential to be a once-in-a-lifetime event.
Flooding may reach some areas that have not seen flooding in at
least 20 years. Many residents new to the region since 2004 may see
unprecedented flooding across the French Broad and Swannanoa River
Valleys. If you live or own a business in the flood plain, assume
floodwaters WILL impact your structures and take precautions to
protect property now. Have a plan in place to seek higher ground
before the heavy rain begins. Consider temporarily relocating to
another location if you live close to the French Broad or Swannanoa
River.
Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive
cars through flooded areas.
Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite source of weather
information for the latest updates. Additional details can be found
at www.weather.gov/gsp.
To escape rising water, take the shortest path to higher ground.
This warning will be in effect until the river falls below its
Action/Advisory Stage.
For detailed information including observed and forecast stages,
flood impacts, flood history, FEMA Flood Hazard Layers, and more,
please visit: https://water.noaa.gov/wfo/GSP
The next statement will be issued beforeSaturday morning at 800 AM
EDT.
Area Description:
Buncombe, NC; Henderson, NC
Forcast Office:
NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SC