Flash Flood, Rutherford
- When
- July 31, 12:00 AM EST to 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Rutherford County, Forest City
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.402, -81.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood and Lightning Strike in North Carolina, July 31, 2000
Strong, nearly stationary thunderstorms dumped excessive rain and produced damaging lightning strikes and gusty winds over and near Forest City during the early morning hours. An estimated 5 inches of rain fell in the area causing urban flooding to begin around midnight.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $6,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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.
Strong, nearly stationary thunderstorms dumped excessive rain and produced damaging lightning strikes and gusty winds over and near Forest City during the early morning hours. An estimated 5 inches of rain fell in the area causing urban flooding to begin around midnight. Soon after though, numerous creeks flooded, washing away parts of several streets and roads. One lightning strike cause a fire which burned an outbuilding. Some trees were downed from a combination of the heavy rain, wind and lightning.
The radar
The Greer radar (KGSP), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:01 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Rutherford
- When
- July 31, 12:00 AM EST to 3:00 AM EST
- Where
- Rutherford County, Forest City
- Property damage
- $6,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 35.402, -81.920 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
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.
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in North Dakota, July 31, 2000
- Heat in Texas, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding in New York, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flood and Lightning Strikes in Virginia, July 31, 2000
- Flooding and Damaging Wind in Georgia, July 31, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Florida, July 31, 2000
- Wildfire in Montana, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding in Pennsylvania, July 31, 2000
- Damaging Wind in New York, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Wind in New York, July 31, 2000
- Flash Flood in Indiana, July 31, 2000
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2000
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: 5176678, 5176679.