6 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Raleigh, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 18, 9:05 AM EST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 1005 AM EDT WED SEP 18 2002 VIS SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATES AN AREA OF CONVECTIVE CLOUDS IN THE SOUTHWEST SECTION OF THE FORECAST AREA WITH A DEFINITE SIGN AROUND THE OUTSIDE EDGES OF A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENT FLOW. NOTE THE STRIATIONS ALONG THE OUTER EDGES PERPENDICULAR TO THE MOVEMENT OF THE CONVECTION CLUSTER NEAR CHARLOTTE. HOWEVER THIS FLOW AND THE CONVECTION CLOUD CLUSTER WILL MOVE TO THE EAST THEN SOUTHEAST AND EXIT THE FORECAST AREA EARLY AFTERNOON TODAY. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW THEN BECOMES CONVERGENT AND SINKING AIR REPLACES IT. IN THE EASTERN SECTIONS TODAY A 700 MB ANTICYCLONE IS SITUATED... ALONG WITH A 850 MB ANTICYCLONE (USE 12 UTC RAOBS AND MODELS TO SEE) THAT WILL SLOWLY MOVE SOUTH ACROSS THE EASTERN PIEDMONT AND COASTAL PLAIN TODAY. THIS WILL AID IN KEEPING SHOWERS TO A MINIMUM IN THE EAST. THE FLOW AROUND THESE FEATURES WILL KEEP THE WESTERN PIEDMONT IN MOISTURE. THE BEST LIFT REMAINS TO THE FORECAST AREA CLOSEST TO CHARLOTTE. THUS WILL UPDATE TODAY TO ADJUST CLOUD COVER AND CHANCES OF CONVECTION TO REFLECT THE ABOVE THINKING. .RAH...NONE. CLINE
NCZ007>011-021>028-038>043-073>078-083>086-088-089-181000- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RALEIGH NC 300 PM EDT TUE SEP 17 2002 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA. .DAY ONE... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEED TODAY OR TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 75 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:20 UTC.
6 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flooding occurred on Doc Bennett Road.
Surrat Drive was flooded, with several cars under water.
Numerous roads were closed on the west side of Asheboro, including Highway 64, Bescher Creek Road, and Farmer Denton Road.
Flooding occurred on Highway 52 and University Parkway, and on Highway 65 near Winston-Salem. Creeks overflowed their banks near Pfafftown, flooding several roads.
Flat Swamp Creek overflowed its banks, flooding Highway 47 and other nearby roads.
Flooding occurred on Old Salisbury Road and Steakhouse Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 2002
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: 5317924, 5317926, 5317925, 5317927, 5317928, 5317929.