Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 3 to 4, 1998

Name: Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 3 to 4, 1998
Start: 1998-02-03T00:00
End: 1998-02-04T03:00
Location: North Carolina

February 3 to 4, 1998 · NWS GSP · 23 events in 14 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $120,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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 strong slow-moving winter storm moved from the Gulf of Mexico north through the Carolinas on the 3rd and 4th, bringing with it heavy rain, snow and high winds. Snow accumulated between 1 and 3 inches across the higher elevations of the mountains by early afternoon on the 3rd. Newland, Beech Mountain and Jonas Ridge had 4 inches of snow by early evening. Mount Mitchell ended up with 20 inches of snow. Roads were icy across the higher elevations and contributed to some wrecks. Heavy rain in Candler early in the morning caused a mobile home to collapse, destroying its' contents. Flooding developed across portions of the mountains during the afternoon as creeks overflowed, covering roads in many areas. High gradient winds between strong high pressure in the upper Midwest and the passing strong low pressure combined with wet ground conditions to down numerous trees and power lines. Power outages and blocked roads were common into the evening hours. A building collapsed in Statesville due to the wind.

The radar

The Greer radar (KGSP), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 high wind, 6 winter weather, 6 flash flood, 3 heavy snow, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Buncombe

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Buncombe forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Haywood

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Haywood forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Henderson

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Henderson forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Madison

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.858, -82.706 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Mitchell

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Mitchell forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.013, -82.163 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Weather, Transylvania

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Transylvania forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yancey

When: February 3, 12:00 AM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Yancey forecast zone
Coordinates: 35.899, -82.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Rain, Buncombe

When: February 3, 5:00 AM EST
Where: Buncombe County, Candler
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Henderson

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Henderson County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Buncombe

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Buncombe forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Haywood

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Haywood forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Iredell

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Iredell forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Jackson

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Northern Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.287, -83.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Rutherford

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Rutherford forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000

High Wind, Southern Jackson

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Southern Jackson forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.287, -83.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Yancey

When: February 3, 12:00 PM EST to 6:00 PM EST
Where: Yancey forecast zone
Property damage: $14,000
Coordinates: 35.899, -82.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Avery

When: February 3, 3:00 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Avery forecast zone
Coordinates: 36.077, -81.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Burke

When: February 3, 3:00 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Burke forecast zone

Flash Flood, Haywood

When: February 3, 4:28 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Haywood County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Polk

When: February 3, 5:45 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Polk County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.279, -82.170 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Transylvania

When: February 3, 7:00 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Transylvania County, Countywide
Coordinates: 35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Mitchell

When: February 3, 7:00 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Mitchell County, Countywide
Coordinates: 36.013, -82.163 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Flash Flood, Henderson

When: February 3, 9:00 PM EST to February 4, 3:00 AM EST
Where: Henderson County, Fletcher
Coordinates: 35.336, -82.480 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5635433, 5635434, 5635435, 5635436, 5635437, 5635438, 5635439, 5635440, 5635441, 5635442, 5635443, 5635444, 5635445, 5635446, 5635447, 5635448, 5635449, 5635450, 5635451, 5635452, 5635453, 5635454, 5635455.