Debris Flow, McDowell
- When
- September 28, 3:00 PM EST to 5:00 PM EST
- Where
- McDowell County, 5 mi NW of Marion
- Coordinates
- 35.681, -82.049 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Debris Flow in North Carolina, September 28, 1996
A prolonged period of heavy rain caused gradual rises on small streams in part of the mountains resulting in flooding. In McDowell county, no flooding was reported but mudslides and heavy rain downed numerous trees onto roadways.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
A prolonged period of heavy rain caused gradual rises on small streams in part of the mountains resulting in flooding. In McDowell county, no flooding was reported but mudslides and heavy rain downed numerous trees onto roadways.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Debris Flow
- A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Alabama, September 28, 1996
- Strong Wind in Connecticut, September 28, 1996
- Tornadoes in New York, September 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1996
- Tornado in Maryland, September 28, 1996
- High Wind in Vermont, September 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1996
- Flooding in North Carolina, September 28, 1996
- High Wind in New York, September 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 28, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, September 28, 1996
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5574476.