Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning

FLASH FLOOD WARNING LAKE LURE: The Town of Lake Lure, NC sounded the siren to alert the public of the Flash Flood Warning from the National Weather Service. The Town is adjusting the Tainter Gates to make accommodate for incoming rain. Please be safe and  use caution when near the river or streams. Seek higher ground if you are in a flood-prone area. Call 9-1-1 for any emergencies.

The National Weather Service has issued the following:
* Flash Flood Warning for...
  Southeastern Buncombe County in western North Carolina...
  Southwestern McDowell County in western North Carolina...
  Northwestern Rutherford County in western North Carolina...

* Until 300 PM EDT.

* At 1102 AM EDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated repeated showers and embedded thunderstorms producing very heavy  rainfall across the warned area. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain have fallen over the past six hours and additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area through early afternoon. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly.

 HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by showers and thunderstorms.

 SOURCE...Radar and automated gauges.

IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as
other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include Marion, Lake Lure, Old Fort, Chimney Rock Village, B.R.
Parkway-Craggy To Little Switzerland, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock State Park, Montreat, Sugar Hill, Pleasant Gardens, Shingle Hollow, Busick, Woodlawn, Green Hill and Little Switzerland.

Flooding is most likely along Crooked Creek, Taylor Creek, Buffalo Creek, and tributaries to the Catawba River.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS: Heavy rain is increasing the risk of landslides, especially in areas
where slides have occurred in the past. 

Be especially alert if you are near a stream, especially at the base of a mountain or in a cove. Watch for loose-moving soil and rocks or a sudden increase in streamflow. Leave the area quickly if this is observed. When driving
along roads where the terrain is steep or rocky, watch and listen for falling rocks, mud, trees and other debris.

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.