North Carolina, 2020

Flash Flooding and Flooding in North Carolina, June 17, 2020

June 17, 2020 · NWS RAH · 18 events in 4 counties and zones

A slow moving upper-level low combined with a surge of warmer and more moist air that moved over a cooler air mass near the surface produced multiple rounds of rain, showers, and thunderstorms across the Coastal Plain and the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina during the morning hours. Widespread rain fell across the area during the previous day or two saturating the soil and raising stream…

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
18

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 RAH wrote it up.

A slow moving upper-level low combined with a surge of warmer and more moist air that moved over a cooler air mass near the surface produced multiple rounds of rain, showers, and thunderstorms across the Coastal Plain and the northeast Piedmont of North Carolina during the morning hours. Widespread rain fell across the area during the previous day or two saturating the soil and raising stream and creek levels. A narrow corridor of heavy rain moved across this area overnight and during the morning hours and produced the flash flooding. Several locations reported between 5 and 6 inches of rain. Many roads were flooded, with at least one water rescue and some roads damaged.

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 Raleigh, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 17, 1:55 AM EST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 17, 1:55 AM EST, 5 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 16, 4:29 AM EST, 21 hours 31 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 16, 11:32 PM EST, 2 hours 28 minutes before
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The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 07:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 flash flood, 5 heavy rain, 5 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Nash

When
June 17, 2:00 AM EST to 4:00 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 1.31 mi ESE of Little Easonburg
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.960, -77.850

Storm total rainfall measured 3.66 inches.

Heavy Rain, Nash

When
June 17, 3:00 AM EST to 7:00 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 1.49 mi NNE of Batchelor Xrds
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
35.970, -78.010

Storm total rainfall measured 5.33 inches.

Heavy Rain, Nash

When
June 17, 3:00 AM EST to 5:53 AM EST
Where
Nash County, (Rwi)rocky Mt Wilson
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
35.850, -77.900

Storm total rainfall measured 3.46 inches.

Heavy Rain, Franklin

When
June 17, 3:13 AM EST to 7:13 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 2.07 mi S of Centerville
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
36.150, -78.100

Storm total rainfall measured 5.39 inches.

Heavy Rain, Nash

When
June 17, 3:55 AM EST to 4:55 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 2.34 mi ENE of Easonburg
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.930, -77.830

Storm total rainfall measured 3.77 inches.

Flash Flood, Nash

When
June 17, 5:15 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 1.81 mi WSW of Dortches to 1.13 mi SW of Red Oak
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.010, -77.900

Heavy rain flooded ponds and fields resulting in water running flooding multiple roads.

Flash Flood, Nash

When
June 17, 5:32 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 2.08 mi WNW of Spring Hope to 2.05 mi NW of Spring Hope
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
35.961, -78.155

Swift water rescues occurred due to flash flooding along Seven Paths Road from Hayes Road to Spring Hill Road.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 5:49 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 0.56 mi E of Seven Paths to 0.87 mi N of Seven Paths
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Law Enforcement
Coordinates
36.000, -78.170

Ruffin Collie Road was closed due to flash flooding.

Flash Flood, Vance

When
June 17, 6:55 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Vance County, 1.92 mi ESE of North Henderson to 0.92 mi SSE of Greystone
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
36.336, -78.340

Several roads were reported flooded near Carey Chapel Road.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1.31 mi ESE of Hickory Rock to 0.84 mi ESE of Hickory Rock
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
36.120, -78.200

Flash flooding was reported near the intersection of Ronald Tharrington Road and Firetower Road.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1.31 mi ENE of Ingleside to 1.73 mi NE of Ingleside
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
36.190, -78.280

United States Highway 401 was closed due to flash flooding at Sutton Road.

Flash Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 7:00 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Franklin County, 1.81 mi WNW of Alert to 1.75 mi WNW of Alert
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
36.240, -78.260

United States Highway 401 was closed at Cheeks Quarter Road due to flash flooding.

Flash Flood, Nash

When
June 17, 7:55 AM EST to 11:00 AM EST
Where
Nash County, 2.15 mi NNW of Bass Xrds to 1.56 mi NNW of Bass Xrds
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
36.010, -78.090

Big Peachtree Creek spilled out of it’s banks and flooded Edwards Road.

Flood, Granville

When
June 17, 11:20 AM EST to 2:20 PM EST
Where
Granville County, 1.31 mi ESE of Oxford to 0.27 mi SSW of O H Jct
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
36.310, -78.560

Roads were reported flooded across the area from heavy rain.

Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 11:25 AM EST to 2:25 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 3.44 mi SSW of Seven Paths to 3.33 mi NNE of Daddysville
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
35.951, -78.194

High water flooded Sagamore Drive at Cypress Creek Crossing.

Flood, Franklin

When
June 17, 11:26 AM EST to 2:26 PM EST
Where
Franklin County, 2.15 mi NNW of Moulton to 1.99 mi SW of Alert
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.200, -78.260

High water flooded Sutton Road.

Flood, Vance

When
June 17, 11:44 AM EST to 2:44 PM EST
Where
Vance County, 1.78 mi NW of Kittrell to 1.54 mi NNW of Kittrell
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
36.250, -78.450

High water flooded Geranium Lane from Long Creek.

Flood, Nash

When
June 17, 3:13 PM EST to 5:13 PM EST
Where
Nash County, 0.69 mi N of Nashville to 0.26 mi N of Nashville
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Broadcast Media
Coordinates
35.980, -77.970

High water flooded West Washington Street near United States Highway 64.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
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

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, June 2020

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 904883, 904880, 904881, 904879, 904882, 904867, 904868, 904869, 904870, 904871, 904872, 904873, 904866, 904874, 904875, 904876, 904877, 904878.