North Carolina alerts

McDowell County, North Carolina weather alerts

1 National Weather Service alert is in force for McDowell County: a special weather statement.

Checked Sun, Sep 20, 2026, 3:44 PM EDT. Times are Eastern Daylight Time.

McDowell County forecastLive radar here

Warnings on the map

Every watch, warning and advisory the National Weather Service has in force over McDowell County, North Carolina. Open it for the live map, where it pans and zooms.

Every watch, warning and advisory the National Weather Service has in force over McDowell County, North Carolina Open the live map with warnings and watches

Map layer from NOAA National Weather Service. Boundaries from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet.

Alerts in force1

Every product in force for McDowell County, worst first, with its full text.

Special Weather Statement

Moderate

Special Weather Statement issued September 20 at 3:19PM EDT by NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SC

Moving toward SSE at 7 mph

Issued Until ending now

Areas Buncombe, NC; McDowell Mountains, NC

Full text

At 319 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a thunderstorm with frequent lightning 13 miles east of Downtown Asheville, or near Black Mountain, moving south at 5 mph. Locations to be impacted include... Black Mountain, Swannanoa, Fairview In Buncombe County, Old Fort, and Montreat.

What to do

Frequent lightning is occurring with this storm. If outdoors, try to get indoors or into a hard topped vehicle. Otherwise, stay away from open areas and isolated high objects such as trees. When indoors, stay away from windows and doors and avoid using wired electronic devices. Do not take a shower or bath. Try to unplug unnecessary appliances before the storm approaches.

NWS Greenville-Spartanburg SCShare this alert

The past year in McDowell County

In the past year the National Weather Service issued 86 alerts for McDowell County, including 27 severe thunderstorm warnings, 3 freeze warnings, 1 extreme cold warning and 1 flash flood warning.

ProductIssuedMost recent
Severe Thunderstorm Warning27Sep 6, 2026
Freeze Warning3Nov 10, 2025
Extreme Cold Warning1Jan 31, 2026
Flash Flood Warning1Sep 7, 2026
High Wind Warning1Feb 6, 2026
Ice Storm Warning1Jan 24, 2026
Red Flag Warning1Mar 28, 2026
Winter Storm Warning1Jan 30, 2026
Severe Thunderstorm Watch4Sep 5, 2026
Flood Watch2Jul 22, 2026
Freeze Watch2Nov 10, 2025
Winter Storm Watch2Jan 30, 2026
Extreme Cold Watch1Jan 31, 2026
High Wind Watch1Feb 6, 2026
Flood Advisory11Sep 7, 2026
Dense Fog Advisory7Aug 27, 2026
Frost Advisory5May 3, 2026
Wind Advisory5Apr 19, 2026
Winter Weather Advisory4Jan 26, 2026
Heat Advisory3Jul 4, 2026
Cold Weather Advisory2Feb 1, 2026
Freezing Fog Advisory1Dec 7, 2025

Warnings issued

  1. Flash Flood Warning
  2. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  3. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  4. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  5. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  6. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  7. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  8. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  9. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  10. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  11. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  12. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  13. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  14. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  15. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  16. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  17. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  18. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  19. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  20. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  21. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  22. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  23. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  24. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  25. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  26. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  27. Red Flag Warning
  28. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  29. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  30. High Wind Warning
  31. Extreme Cold Warning
  32. Winter Storm Warning
  33. Ice Storm Warning
  34. Freeze Warning
  35. Freeze Warning
  36. Freeze Warning
Every alert, most recent first
  1. Flash Flood Warning
  2. Flood Advisory
  3. Flood Advisory
  4. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  5. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  6. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  7. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  8. Severe Thunderstorm Watch
  9. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  10. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  11. Dense Fog Advisory
  12. Flood Advisory
  13. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  14. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  15. Severe Thunderstorm Watch
  16. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  17. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  18. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  19. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  20. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  21. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  22. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  23. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  24. Severe Thunderstorm Watch
  25. Flood Advisory
  26. Flood Watch
  27. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  28. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  29. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  30. Flood Advisory
  31. Flood Advisory
  32. Flood Watch
  33. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  34. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  35. Heat Advisory
  36. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  37. Heat Advisory
  38. Heat Advisory
  39. Severe Thunderstorm Warning
  40. Severe Thunderstorm Warning

The 40 most recent of 86.

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet’s archive of NWS watches, warnings and advisories (VTEC), by the county’s own code and the forecast zones inside it. Each date links to the event at the IEM.

Nearby

The counties around McDowell County, with what is in force in each.

What this means

Warning
The hazard is happening or about to. Act now: a tornado warning means take shelter, a flash flood warning means move to higher ground.
Watch
Conditions favor the hazard. Nothing is happening yet; have a plan and be ready to act if a warning follows.
Advisory
A hazard that is less serious than a warning but can still cause trouble, such as dense fog, heat or light ice.
Statement
Information about weather that does not yet meet a warning: a strong storm, a hydrologic update, or a special weather statement.

Severity (extreme, severe, moderate, minor) is the rating the issuing office gives each product. More on the difference: tornado watch vs. tornado warning. Alerts come from the National Weather Service; follow its instructions and your local officials.

Sources

Alerts from the National Weather Service's public feed, read afresh every minute, and matched to counties and zones by their UGC codes. Warnings from outside the United States come from each country's own meteorological service. Follow the issuing office's instructions and your local officials.