North Carolina, 2023

Flash Flooding in North Carolina, July 8, 2023

July 8, 2023 · NWS RAH · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A surface trough over the central North Carolina Piedmont coupled with an upper trough led to scattered thunderstorm development that eventually merged into a line of showers and thunderstorms over the northwest Piedmont. These storms tracked east into the Triangle, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain by late in the evening hours, weakening with eastward extent into the overnight hours.

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
3

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 surface trough over the central North Carolina Piedmont coupled with an upper trough led to scattered thunderstorm development that eventually merged into a line of showers and thunderstorms over the northwest Piedmont. These storms tracked east into the Triangle, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain by late in the evening hours, weakening with eastward extent into the overnight hours. Flash flooding was reported in Alamance and Wake counties.

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 Jul 7, 6:49 PM EST, 17 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 7, 6:49 PM EST, 17 hours 56 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 7, 3:17 PM EST, 21 hours 28 minutes before
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The radar

The Raleigh/Durham radar (KRAX), 101 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:43 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Alamance

When
July 8, 12:45 PM EST to 3:45 PM EST
Where
Alamance County, 1.52 mi SE of Elon College to 1.74 mi SSE of Elon College
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
State Official
Coordinates
36.082, -79.485

The road was flooded near the intersection of International Rd and S Church St in Burlington.

Flash Flood, Wake

When
July 8, 4:17 PM EST to 5:50 PM EST
Where
Wake County, 1.94 mi SSE of Millbrook to 1.02 mi WSW of Brentwood
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
State Official
Coordinates
35.823, -78.611

Flooding was reported on Atlantic Ave between Highwoods Blvd and Millbrook Rd.

Flash Flood, Wake

When
July 8, 5:00 PM EST to 5:50 PM EST
Where
Wake County, College View to 0.57 mi W of College View
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
State Official
Coordinates
35.780, -78.700

Flooding was reported at Interstate 440 and Western Blvd in Raleigh.

What these are

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2023

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1117380, 1117388, 1117393.