North Carolina, 2024

Flood and Heavy Rain in North Carolina, April 11, 2024

April 11, 2024 · NWS RNK · 3 events in 1 county or zone

A deep upper level trough was observed situated along the Mississippi River Valley during the morning of April 11th, with deep south-southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough carrying moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward along the Appalachian chain. Southeasterly windflow in the low levels of the atmosphere carried this moisture up the Blue Ridge escarpment, with the orographic lift…

Where it happened

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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 RNK wrote it up.

A deep upper level trough was observed situated along the Mississippi River Valley during the morning of April 11th, with deep south-southwesterly windflow ahead of the trough carrying moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward along the Appalachian chain. Southeasterly windflow in the low levels of the atmosphere carried this moisture up the Blue Ridge escarpment, with the orographic lift enhancing rainfall totals across the headwaters of the Watauga River in Watauga and Avery Counties. Rain began falling between 3:00 am and 4:00 am EDT across northwest North Carolina and persisted through the day, with rainfall rates varying 0.10 inch/hour and 0.70 inch/hour. Rainfall totals for the day across the headwaters of the Watauga River ranged generally between 3.5 and 4.5 inches, with totals locally as high as 5 inches.

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 Blacksburg, VA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 10, 6:42 PM EST, 5 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 10, 6:42 PM EST, 5 hours 18 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 10, 1:54 PM EST, 10 hours 6 minutes before
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy rain, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Watauga

When
April 11, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Watauga County, 3.46 mi S of Matney
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
36.130, -81.817

A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KNCBANNE53) recorded a 24-hour rainfall amount of 3.63 inches. This amount has a 1-year Average Recurrence Interval per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Rainfall rates were measured to be as high as 0.6 inch per hour at times. Runoff from this rainfall flows into the Watauga River.

Heavy Rain, Watauga

When
April 11, 12:00 AM EST to 11:59 PM EST
Where
Watauga County, 2.09 mi SSE of Matney
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
36.152, -81.806

A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KNCBANNE26) recorded a 24-hour rainfall amount of 3.82 inches. This amount has between an 1-year and a 2-year Average Recurrence Interval per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Rainfall rates were measured to be as high as 0.7 inches per hour at times. Runoff from this rainfall flows into the Watauga River.

Flood, Watauga

When
April 11, 7:25 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
Where
Watauga County, 0.95 mi N of Rominger to 0.75 mi N of Rominger
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
River/Stream Gage
Coordinates
36.244, -81.832

The Watauga River near Sugar Grove, NC (SGWN7), crested at 7.50 feet (3,620 cfs) at 8:30 pm EST on the 11th. Flood stage is 6.0 feet. This event is well-under a 2-year event (50% Annual Exceedance Probability) per USGS StreamStats. No damage was reported during this event.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, April 2024

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: 1166748, 1166756, 1162725.