North Carolina, 1998

Flash Flood in North Carolina, April 17, 1998

April 17, 1998 · NWS RAH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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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.

The radar

The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:10 UTC.

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Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Forsyth

When
April 17, 5:10 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where
Forsyth County, Winston Salem
Coordinates
36.131, -80.256 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An isolated strong thunderstorm moved over the Winston-Salem area very slowly from the northwest. Flooding was reported in many locations including Reynolda Road at Wake Forest University and along Interstate 40 and Highway 52 near downtown. 2 to 2.5 inches of rain fell in an hour over the western and downtown sections of the city. The slow moving storm also caused streams to come out of their banks west of the city all the way to the Yadkin River.

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 1998

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5641725.