Flash Flood, Wake
- When
- January 16, 5:00 PM EST to 9:00 PM EST
- Where
- Wake County, Raleigh
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 35.790, -78.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
Heavy rain brought a rapid rise in Crabtree Creek in Raleigh. The flooding occurred from Wake Forest Road downstream to Atlantic Avenue and to Capital Boulevard.
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
- $50,000
- 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 RAH wrote it up.
Heavy rain brought a rapid rise in Crabtree Creek in Raleigh. The flooding occurred from Wake Forest Road downstream to Atlantic Avenue and to Capital Boulevard. The gage at Wake Forest Road rose to 1 foot above flood stage for a few hours time. This caused minor flooding to the parking lots and businesses adjacent to the creek. Atlantic Avenue and Hodges Streets had to be closed due to 2 to 3 feet of water. Several cars were submerged in the high water and had to be evacuated. High water also flooded portions of Capital Boulevard, closing several lanes of traffic.Flooding of creeks and streams throughout Wake county caused the closing of other roads including Poole Road and Rose Lane in east Raleigh. Avent Ferry Road, near North Carolina State Universities Centennial Campus was also closed due to several feet of water on the roadway. Flooding occurred all along Swift Creek in south Raleigh to Fuquay Varina.
The radar
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Lightning Strike in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
- Winter Weather in Kentucky, January 16, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wyoming, January 16 to 17, 1998
- Hail in South Carolina, January 16, 1998
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Idaho, January 16 to 17, 1998
- Flood in Virginia, January 16 to 18, 1998
- Flood in Florida, January 16 to 31, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
- Hail in North Carolina, January 16, 1998
- High Wind in Oregon, January 16 to 17, 1998
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, January 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: 5629442.