The remnants of Hurricane Frances brought very heavy rainfall to western North Carolina on the 7th and 8th, resulting in widespread severe flooding across the mountains and foothills. Flooding first developed in Transylvania County, as the Little River overflowed its banks during the afternoon.
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 episode as NWS GSP wrote it up.
The remnants of Hurricane Frances brought very heavy rainfall to western North Carolina on the 7th and 8th, resulting in widespread severe flooding across the mountains and foothills. Flooding first developed in Transylvania County, as the Little River overflowed its banks during the afternoon. Shortly thereafter, flooding developed along Shaws Creek in Henderson County, and in the Cruso community of Haywood County. As moderate to heavy rainfall continued into the evening hours, flooding gradually worsened and expanded across the area. By the early morning hours of the 8th, flooding was widespread and severe across much of the area, with most creeks and streams in flood. Major flooding developed along the French Broad River, which reached a near-record stage of 25 feet at Blantyre, and 21 feet in Canton. In Haywood County, flooding along the Pigeon River was described as the worst in over 60 years. Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed across the area, necessitating a number of evacuations and rescues. Clyde and Canton endured the brunt of this damage. Numerous roads and bridges were washed out as well.
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 Sep 7, 10:23 AM EST, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1123 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
.SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...
HAVE ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE NC AND GA MOUNTAINS
THROUGH MIDNIGHT TNGT. REPORTS OF QUITE A FEW TREES AND POWER LINES
DOWN IN THE GA MTNS ALREADY THIS MORNING. THE STRONGEST WINDS ON THE
NE SIDE OF FRANCES WL NOT CROSS THE MTNS UNTIL 18-00 UTC THIS AFTN
PER THE GFS. AS THE GROUND BECOMES MORE AND MORE SATURATE...THE
NUMBER OF FALLEN TREES WILL ONLY INCREASE. WHILE WINDS MAY NOT
TECHNICALLY BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR A WARNING...WILL ISSUE A WARNING
ANYWAY BASED UPON IMPACT.
CURRENTLY THE KCAE RADAR HAS 5 TIGHT SRM COUPLETS THAT MIGHT BE
PRODUCING TORNADOES ORIENTED NW TO SE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE
THEIR CWA IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRANCES RAINBANDS. LLVL MESOS ARE BEING
AUGMENTED BY INTERACTION WITH A SFC BNDRY WHICH SHOWS UP FAIRLY
WELL AS AN AREA OF STREAMLINE CONVERGENCE IN MSAS. THIS BNDRY IS
SLOWLY PUSHING NORTHWEST AND TORNADO THREAT WILL GREATLY INCREASE
OVER THE ERN UPSTATE AND SRN NC PIEDMONT IN VERY SHORT ORDER. LOCAL
VWP PROGRAM HAS NEARLY 300 0-3KM SREH AND 0-1KM SREH OF 175.
IFLOWS SHOWS THAT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ALONG THE ERN ESCARPMENT ALREADY
AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. DON/T SEE ANY
REASON TO DOUBT OUR EARLIER RAINFALL ESTIMATES...ESPECIALLY SINCE
THE CENTER OF FRANCES IS MOVING ONLY VERY SLOWLY NORTH ACROSS
SOUTHWEST GA. WITH CLOUD TOPS COOLING NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER
ATTM...I/M AFRAID THAT HEAVY RAIN WILL BE WITH US FOR A LONG TIME.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AT 1052 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...
NOT A LOT NEEDS CHANGING IN THE GRIDS ATTM WITH HIGH POPS...HEAVY
RAIN AND HIGHER ELEVATION WINDS ALREADY ACCOUNTED FOR. CURRENTLY
THE KCAE RADAR HAS 5 TIGHT SRM COUPLETS THAT MIGHT BE PRODUCING
TORNADOES ORIENTED NW TO SE ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE THEIR
CWA IN ASSOCIATION WITH FRANCES RAINBANDS. LLVL MESOS ARE BEING
AUGMENTED BY INTERACTION WITH A SFC BNDRY WHICH SHOWS UP FAIRLY
WELL AS AN AREA OF STREAMLINE CONVERGENCE IN MSAS. THIS BNDRY IS
SLOWLY PUSHING NORTHWEST AND TORNADO THREAT WILL GREATLY INCREASE
OVER THE ERN UPSTATE AND SRN NC PIEDMONT IN VERY SHORT ORDER. LOCAL
VWP PROGRAM HAS NEARLY 300 0-3KM SREH AND 0-1KM SREH OF 175.
IFLOWS SHOWS THAT RAINFALL AMOUNTS ALONG THE ERN ESCARPMENT ALREADY
AVERAGE 1 TO 3 INCHES WILL LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. DON/T SEE ANY
REASON TO DOUBT OUR EARLIER RAINFALL ESTIMATES...ESPECIALLY SINCE
THE CENTER OF FRANCES IS MOVING ONLY VERY SLOWLY NORTH ACROSS
SOUTHWEST GA. WITH CLOUD TOPS COOLING NORTH AND EAST OF THE CENTER
ATTM...I/M AFRAID THAT HEAVY RAIN WILL BE WITH US FOR A LONG TIME.
A FEW REPORTS OF SCATTERED TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN THE MTNS
RESULTING FROM THE COMBINATION OF WIND AND RAIN. DO NOT PLAN TO
UPGRADE TO HIGH WIND WARNING YET...BUT WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE
MTN WIND SITUATION.
THE FOLLOWING WAS ORIGINALLY ISSUED AT 313 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004
SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...
RADAR TRENDS HAVE SHOWN AN INCREASE IN CONVECTION ALONG THE
ESCARPMENT AND OTHER UPSLOPE-FAVORED AREAS OF THE NORTH CAROLINA
HIGHER TERRAIN CONVECTION GETTING AN ASSIST FROM LIFT ON THE 30 TO
40 KNOTS OF SOUTHEAST FLOW CURRENTLY SHOWN ON THE KGSP 88-D VELOCITY
AZIMUTH DISPLAY PROFILE. MEANWHILE...LEAD BANDING ON THE OUTER
CIRCULATION CENTER OF WHAT IS LEFT OF FRANCES ADVANCING STEADILY
NORTHWARD INTO THE SOUTHERN REACHES OF THE FORECAST AREA. WE EXPECT
RAINFALL AMOUNTS TO INCREASE DRAMATICALLY IN THE PREDAWN HOURS.
THE LATEST GFS REMAINS IN RELATIVELY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH LAST NHC
TRACK OF FRANCES REMNANT LOW...WHILE THE ETA IS ONCE AGAIN SUSPECT
IN LEAVING BEHIND LOW CENTER OVER AL/GA FOR TOO LONG. FOR THIS
REASON...THIS FORECAST LEANS HEAVILY TOWARD THE GFS SOLUTION. THAT
SAID...MOST OF THE HEAVY LIFTING HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. CATEGORICAL
POP INTO WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...QPF BASED ON HPC GUIDANCE...AND WIND
FIELD BASED ON GFS. FLOOD WATCH IS A NO BRAINER. ALL THAT REMAINS
TO BE SEEN IS THE SEVERE POTENTIAL.
WITH THE REMNANT LOW TRACKING CLOSER...EXPECT SHEAR TO INCREASE
DURING THE MORNING AND INTO THE AFTERNOON PER GFS DEPICTION OF
0-3KM HELICITY. ANY DEEPER CONVECTION WILL HAVE TORNADO POTENTIAL...
ESPECIALLY OVER UPSTATE SC AND NORTHEAST GA WHERE SOME WEAK
INSTABILITY IS EXPECTED. IF ANY CLEARING WORKS IN FROM GA AND
CONVECTIVE BANDS FORM BEHIND THE MAIN RAIN SHIELD...WATCH OUT. WILL
ISSUE SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK TO ADDRESS THIS.
WIND SHOULD INCREASE ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS THIS MORNING AND
REMAIN THROUGH TONIGHT. EVENING RAOB FROM FFC WAS TROUBLESOME WITH
50KT WINDS NOTED AT 3-5K FEET...BUT KGSP RADAR SHOWS ONLY 35-40KTS.
CENTER OF REMNANT LOW WILL MOVE SLOWLY NORTH AND WILL ALSO WIND
DOWN...SO THINK WIND GUST POTENTIAL OUTSIDE CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS
WILL REMAIN BELOW WARNING CRITERIA. WILL ISSUE WIND ADVISORY TO
HANDLE THIS...THROUGH TONIGHT...AFTER WHICH TIME SIGNIFICANT WIND
POTENTIAL SHOULD LIFT NORTH.
PRECIP FINALLY LIFTS OUT LATE WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. SOME
MINOR CHANGES WILL BE MADE TO PRECIP FORECAST THURSDAY AS LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE AXIS REMAINING ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA FAVORS HOLDING
ON TO CHANCE POP THROUGH THE DAY. ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPS.
LONG TERM (THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY)...
VERY FEW CHANGES MADE IN THE WAKE OF FRANCES REMNANTS...MAINLY
TWEAKS TO BETTER ALIGN WITH NEIGHBORS. LATEST GFS LEAVES BEHIND
SURFACE TROF NEAR THE COAST THROUGH SATURDAY WITH WESTERN EDGE OF
PRECIP JUST BEYOND FORECAST AREA. SLIGHT CHANCES IN GRIDS FOR
LATE WEEK MIGHT BE A BIT OVERDONE BUT WILL LEAVE THEM ALONE FOR NOW.
AVIATION...
THE RAIN SHIELD ASSOCIATED WITH THE CIRCULATION REMAINING FROM
FRANCES WILL SPREAD OVER THE TERMINALS TODAY. FWC AND MAV SHOW THAT
THE IFR STRATUS WILL LINGER THROUGHOUT MUCH OF THE DAY...NOT QUITE
THE CASE OBSERVED OVER GA AND EASTERN SC ATTM. HOWEVER...IMPRESSIVE
UPSLOPE FLOW WILL HELP KEEP CEILINGS LOW...WILL ACCEPT THE BROAD
SOLUTION OF THE MOS. GFS SHOWS THAT LLVL FLOW...AS HIGH AS 50KTS AT
H85...WILL REMAIN OVER THE FA FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. WITH SFC WINDS
SPEEDS REMAINING IN THE TEENS...LLWS WILL LIKELY PERSIST UNTIL LOW
APPROACHES TONIGHT. HOWEVER...LLWS WILL NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE TAFS
AS IT IS NOT CONSIDERED COMPLETELY NON-CONVECTIVE.
SFC WINDS WILL VEER MORE TO THE EAST AS THE LOW APPROACHES TODAY AND
THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL GENERALLY START GUSTY EARLY SOUTH AND WILL
BUILD NORTH TO KCLT AND KHKY BY MIDDAY. WILL COMPROMISE SPEEDS
BETWEEN FWC AND MAV GUIDANCE.
HYDROLOGY...
WATER LEVELS ON THE RIVERS AND STREAMS WITHIN THE CWFA STARTING THIS
EVENT WITH RELATIVELY LOW ANTECEDENT STAGES...BUT LEVELS SHOULD BEGIN
RISING LATER THIS MORNING AS MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL BECOMES MORE
WIDESPREAD. THE ANTICIPATED PROLONGED RAINFALL RESULTS IN FLOOD
CONDITIONS ON ALL MOUNTAIN MAIN STEM RIVERS OF NORTH CAROLINA BY
WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON MANY CRESTS...BASED ON CURRENT FORECAST
RAINFALL...SHOW RISES INTO THE MODERATE FLOOD CATEGORY. RISES TO
FLOOD STAGE ON FOOTHILL/PIEDMONT RIVERS AND STREAMS SEEM CERTAIN AT
THIS JUNCTURE...ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND UPSTATE SOUTH
CAROLINA. FUTURE COLLABORATION WITH RIVER FORECAST CENTERS WILL
DETERMINE THE MAGNITUDE OF ANY FLOODING FOR NON-MOUNTAIN LOCATIONS
AND WILL BE INCLUDED IN FUTURE HYDROLOGIC PRODUCTS ISSUED FROM OUR
OFFICE.
&&
.GSP WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
GA...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029 THROUGH
WEDNESDAY.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES GAZ010-017 TODAY AND TONIGHT.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES GAZ018-026-028-029 TODAY AND
TONIGHT.
NC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES NCZ033>035-037-038-048>059-062>072-
082 THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ034-054-055-066-067 THROUGH
TONIGHT.
...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES NCZ033-048>053-058-059-
062>065 THROUGH MIDNIGHT.
...WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES NCZ033-048>053-058-059-062>065 FROM
MIDNIGHT THROUGH 6 AM WEDNESDAY.
SC...FLOOD WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ001>014-019 THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ001>003 THROUGH TONIGHT.
...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR ZONES SCZ004>008-010>014-019 TODAY AND
TONIGHT.
...TORNADO WATCH FOR ZONES SCZ011>014-019 UNTIL 2 PM EDT.
&&
SHORT TERM (UPDATE)...MCAVOYHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC 600 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004 GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ033>037-048>059-062>072-082-SCZ001>014- 019-081000- ABBEVILLE SC-ALEXANDER NC-ANDERSON SC-AVERY NC-BUNCOMBE NC-BURKE NC- CABARRUS NC-CALDWELL NC-CATAWBA NC-CHEROKEE SC-CHESTER SC- CLEVELAND NC-DAVIE NC-ELBERT GA-FRANKLIN GA-GASTON NC-GRAHAM NC- GREATER GREENVILLE SC-GREATER OCONEE SC-GREATER PICKENS SC- GREENVILLE MOUNTAINS SC-GREENWOOD SC-HABERSHAM GA-HART GA-HAYWOOD NC- HENDERSON NC-IREDELL NC-LAURENS SC-LINCOLN NC-MACON NC-MADISON NC- MCDOWELL NC-MECKLENBURG NC-MITCHELL NC-NORTHERN JACKSON NC- OCONEE MOUNTAINS SC-PICKENS MOUNTAINS SC-POLK NC-RABUN GA-ROWAN NC- RUTHERFORD NC-SOUTHERN JACKSON NC-SPARTANBURG SC-STEPHENS GA- SWAIN NC-TRANSYLVANIA NC-UNION SC-UNION NC-YANCEY NC-YORK SC- 600 AM EDT TUE SEP 7 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA... UPSTATE SOUTH CAROLINA...AND EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA. .DAY ONE... THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES WILL APPROACH THE WESTERN CAROLINAS TODAY...AND WILL PUSH A LARGE AREA OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE REGION. SEVERAL INCHES OF RAIN ARE EXPECTED WITH FLOODING A DISTINCT POSSIBILITY ACROSS A LARGE AREA LATER TODAY. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE FLOOD WATCH ISSUED AT 441 AM. WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS MORNING AS WELL...WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT ACROSS THE NORTH CAROLINA MOUNTAINS. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE URGENT WEATHER MESSAGE ISSUED AT 437 AM. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH WIND DAMAGE AND ISOLATED TORNADOES THE PRIMARY THREAT...MAINLY ACROSS EXTREME NORTHEAST GEORGIA AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. FOR MORE INFORMATION...SEE THE SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ISSUED AT 542 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY RAIN WILL EXTEND THROUGH WEDNESDAY. EVENTUALLY...FLOODING COULD OCCUR ON MAIN STEM RIVERS. RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS MIGHT NEED TO BE ISSUED IF RAINFALL AMOUNTS DEVELOP AS EXPECTED. THE REMNANTS OF FRANCES WILL MOVE AWAY THURSDAY...AFTER WHICH NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE LIKELY THROUGH TONIGHT. MOORE
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</html>PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1229 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1145 AM TORNADO 13 SW CHARLOTTE 35.06N 81.00W
09/07/2004 MECKLENBURG NC AMATEUR RADIO
TREES BLOWN DOWN BY TORNADO ON YOUNGBLOOD DRIVE BETWEEN
1145 AND 1150 AM.
&&
HGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1240 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1150 AM TORNADO 12 SW CHARLOTTE 35.07N 80.98W
09/07/2004 MECKLENBURG NC BROADCAST MEDIA
TORNADO DAMAGE REPORTED TO A HOUSE IN THE ROYAL OAKS
SUBDIVISION NEAR BUSTER BOYD BRIDGE ON HIGHWAY 49.
&&
HGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
1252 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1100 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG CASHIERS 35.11N 83.10W
09/07/2004 JACKSON NC COUNTY OFFICIAL
COUNTY REPORTS SEVERAL TREES BLOWN DOWN.
&&
HGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
130 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0120 PM FLOOD 8 S CLAYTON 34.76N 83.40W
09/07/2004 RABUN GA COUNTY OFFICIAL
COUNTY REPORTS JOEY BRIDGE ROAD FLOODED OFF OF HIGHWAY
441.
&&
HGPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
208 PM EDT TUE SEP 07 2004
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1145 AM TORNADO 13 SW CHARLOTTE 35.06N 81.00W
09/07/2004 MECKLENBURG NC NWS EMPLOYEE
NUMEROUS LARGE TREES BLOWN DOWN ALONG THOMAS ROAD.
&&
HGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood, 3 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, September 2004
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: 5423029, 5423030, 5423031, 5423032, 5423033, 5423034.