Flood, Iredell
- When
- March 20, 12:00 PM EST to 8:00 PM EST
- Where
- Iredell forecast zone
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 35.807, -80.873 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
After morning flash flooding, moderating rainfall led to slower rises, but continued and additional flooding along creeks and streams into the evening hours. The flooding became quite severe, and was described as the worst observed in the county in over 60 years.
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
- $2.0 million
- 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 GSP wrote it up.
After morning flash flooding, moderating rainfall led to slower rises, but continued and additional flooding along creeks and streams into the evening hours. The flooding became quite severe, and was described as the worst observed in the county in over 60 years. Fourth Creek flooded portions of I-40 west of Statesville, closing the interstate for 5 hours. Flooding was also observed along Gregory Creek and Third Creek, as well as numerous smaller streams. Some homes, businesses, and assisted living facilties required evacuation. Some schools flooded and were forced to close for several days. Several bridges were destroyed.
What forecasters said that day
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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 20, 10:47 AM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 10:47 AM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 1047 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 WILL LEAVE FLOOD WATCH AS IS TODAY. SIGNIFICANT FLOODING STILL ONGOING AND MORE LIKELY AS MODERATE RAIN AREA MOVES NORTH THROUGH CWFA. STILL EXPECTING CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON...SO FLOODING POSSIBLE IN AREAS WHERE NO FLOODS HAVE YET OCCURRED. WEDGE MUCH STRONGER THAN PREV FCST...SO HAVE LOWERED MAX TEMPS TODAY AND KEPT ELY WINDS OUTSIDE OF THE MTNS. WILL KEEP CAT POPS AS WELL...ALTHOUGH THERE WILL BE A BREAK IN PRECIP SEVERAL AREAS. .GSP... GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES GAZ010...GAZ017>018...GAZ026... GAZ028>029. NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES NCZ033>037...NCZ048>059... NCZ062>072...NCZ082. SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR TODAY FOR ZONES SCZ001>014...SCZ019. RWH
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 20, 5:25 AM EST, 6 hours 35 minutes before
GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-201215- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 525 AM EST THU MAR 20 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE...TODAY A FLOOD WATCH (FFAGSP) REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH AND EAST OF INTERSTATE 85...COULD PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...THE POTENTIAL FOR AN TORNADO ALSO EXISTS. PLEASE SEE THE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK (SPSGSP) FOR FURTHER DETAILS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MAY LINGER INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON FRIDAY...EAST OF INTERSTATE 85. PLEASE SEE THE ABOVE MENTIONED SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH EARLY FRIDAY MORNING. NED
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Georgia, March 20, 2003
- Tornado in Georgia, March 20, 2003
- Tornado in Florida, March 20, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20 to 21, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in South Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in South Carolina, March 20 to 21, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20 to 24, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flood in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Virginia, March 20 to 24, 2003
- Flooding in North Carolina, March 20, 2003
More
Every storm in North Carolina in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, March 2003
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: 5348537.