A strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, |brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 RNK wrote it up.
A strong cold front extending from a complex surface low pressure system, |brought intense thunderstorms which produced damaging winds and very heavy rain on April 12-13. The heavy rains resulted from a deep plume of tropical moisture lifted northward ahead of the cold front. Heavy rain began during the evening of April 12th and exited the region shortly after sunrise on the 13th, lasting roughly a 12-hour period. Between 1.5 and 4 inches of rain fell across the mountains and foothills, with pockets of 4 to 7.5 inches observed near the crest of the Blue Ridge.
Given the heavy rainfall rates, the result was mainly flash flooding of small creeks and streams. Hardest hit were portions of Watauga County, NC, where 4 to 7.5 inches fell county-wide. Extensive flooding was observed along the East Fork of the South Fork of the New River, near the Hidden Hills neighborhood. Multiple homes were evacuated due flooding, with many long-time residents reporting that this event was the highest that river had risen in at least 20 years. Flooding elsewhere across Watauga County was not as severe, with some roads flooded. National Water Model simulations of this basin indicate that the flooding may have risen to a 25 to 50-year recurrence interval.
Flooding extended into Ashe County, NC where multiple roads sustained severe damage, being either partially or totally collapsed/washed out where they intersected smaller creeks. Many other counties across the mountains and foothills reported mainly flooded roads with little to no other damage.
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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 12, 3:01 AM EST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
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</html>The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 137 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 11:02 UTC.
9 thunderstorm wind, 8 heavy rain, 3 flash flood, 3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The CoCoRaHS station at Fleetwood 3.1 SSE (NC-AS-22) measured 6.02 inches in 24 hours ending at 600 AM EST. According to NOAA Atlas 14 this falls in the 90 percent confidence interval (5.36 to 6.53 inches) for a 10-year rainfall event (0.1 annual chance of occurrence).
The CoCoRaHS station at Boone 4.5 SE (NC-WT-24) measured 7.50 inches in 24 hours ending at 600 AM EST. According to NOAA Atlas 14 this falls in the 90 percent confidence interval (7.02 to 8.49 inches) for a 25-year rainfall event (0.04 annual chance of occurrence).
The CoCoRaHS station at Blowing Rock 2.2 ENE (NC-WT-10) measured 7.38 inches in 24 hours ending at 600 AM EST. According to NOAA Atlas 14 this falls just below the 90 percent confidence interval (7.40 to 8.94) for a 25-year rainfall event (0.04 annual chance of occurrence).
The NWS Cooperative station at Mt. Airy (MTAN7) set a daily April rainfall record of 4.12 inches for the 24-hour period ending 700 AM EST on April 13th. The previous April record was 3.84 inches on Feb. 14, 1984 (complete data since 1893).
The NWS Cooperative station at Boone 1 SE (BOON7) set a daily April rainfall record of 4.71 inches for the 24-hour period ending 700 AM EST on April 13, 2020. The old record was 3.94 inches on April 24, 2018 (complete data since 1981). It was also the highest April one-day rainfall at Boone if the previous COOP site in the Boone area is included, the old record was 4.68 inches April 5, 1957. The previous site has nearly complete data back to 1929.
The NWS Cooperative station at Transou (LSPN7) set a daily April rainfall record of 4.76 inches for the 24-hour period ending 700 AM EST on April 13th. The previous record was 4.41 inches on April 14, 1980 (complete data since 1947).
The NWS Cooperative station at Jefferson 2 E (JFFN7) set an April daily rainfall record for the 24-hours ending at 700 AM EST on April 13th with 4.65 inches. The previous record for the date was 3.78 inches set on April 24, 2017. Nearly complete records date back to 1910 at this station, with sporadic data back to 1896.
The CoCoRaHS station at Boone 4.6 E (NC-WT-37) measured 6.40 inches in 24 hours ending at 600 AM EST. According to NOAA Atlas 14 this falls in the 90 percent confidence interval (5.43 to 6.53 inches) for a 10-year rainfall event (0.1 annual chance of occurrence).
Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree in the 900 block of Old U.S. Highway 421.
Thunderstorm winds blew down a tree in the community of Roaring River.
Thunderstorm winds blew down multiple trees in the Parsonville area.
Several roads and culverts roads were damaged in flash flooding across Ashe County. A culvert collapsed on Frank Dillard Road causing a truck to fall into a large hole. The shoulder of the road at the intersection of Cranberry Springs Road and Liberty Grove Church Road was damaged.
Thunderstorm winds blew down at least two trees into a home in the Millers Creek area.
Significant flash flooding occurred in the Boone area with multiple housing units being evacuated. Several roads were closed including Bamboo Road, Deerfield Dr. and Meadowview Road. The worst flooding was from the East Fork of the South Fork of the New River and along Goshen Creek where several water rescues from homes were undertaken. Several mudlslides were reported across the area as well and significant road damage occurred. A person was stuck on top of their vehicle, due to the rising waters, in the area of Deerfield Road near the golf course, according to scanner dispatches in the 500 AM time frame and around 600 AM another vehicle was washed off the road in the area of the Moose Lodge.
The Watauga River at Sugar Grove (SGWN7) crested at 10.24 feet, above the flood stage of 6 feet early on April 13th, covering several low water bridges and flooding roads along the river.
Thunderstorm winds blew down at least one tree on Edwards-Lakeview Drive.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree onto a wooden outbuilding on J. A. Russell Drive. A man was inside the building at the time the tree fell, and was later transported to the hospital with minor injuries.
A thunderstorm with damaging winds blew several trees down in the Yadkinville area, as well as across Yadkin County.
A thunderstorm with damaging winds blew three trees down on Rockett Road.
Thunderstorm winds blew a tree down onto a home in the Stoneville area.
River camp next to the South Fork of the New River flooded and the bridge at Kings Creek Rd. was covered over with water. The South Fork New River gage at Jefferson (JFRN7) upstream crested at 9.89 feet (10,400 cfs). This was above the minor flood stage of 8 feet and the 11th highest crest on record, with data as far back as 1916. Per USGS studies this was between a 5- and 10-year recurrence interval (0.2 to 0.1 annual chance flood).
Radar Road was closed north of the intersection with Ararat Road due to flooding from the Ararat River. The river exceeded flood stage of 13 feet between around 800 AM EST and 1200 PM EST, cresting at 13.48 feet.
Highway 8 North was closed due to flood waters.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 2020
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: 885153, 885156, 885158, 884815, 884826, 884831, 884839, 885159, 890174, 885613, 885611, 884405, 885606, 885110, 885208, 885607, 885619, 885609, 885610, 885647, 886079, 884858, 886081.