A deep, negatively tilted upper level trough and associated occluded front passed from the central Mississippi River Valley on January 9th toward the lower New England region by the morning of the 10th. Strong southerly wind flow ahead of the upper trough carried deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Carolinas and the lower Mid-Atlantic.
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 deep, negatively tilted upper level trough and associated occluded front passed from the central Mississippi River Valley on January 9th toward the lower New England region by the morning of the 10th. Strong southerly wind flow ahead of the upper trough carried deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico northward into the Carolinas and the lower Mid-Atlantic. Precipitable water values ranged from 1.2 inches to nearly 1.5 inches across northwest North Carolina by early afternoon on the 9th, or anywhere between two and three standard deviations above normal for January. Precipitation fell mainly as rain during a 12 to 15 hour period on the 9th, mostly at rates of a half inch per hour or less. However, a convective band pushed across the foothills and Piedmont off North Carolina during the afternoon, producing rates of locally two inches per hour. Rainfall totals varied from around 2 inches to locally in excess of 4 inches for the northwest portion of the state, with the highest totals occurring along the crest of the Blue Ridge, as well as across the foothills. These amounts ranged mainly between 2-year and 5-year average recurrence intervals for a 12 hour duration per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates. Given that multiple precipitation events, having passed across the region since late November 2023, had allowed stream flows and soil moisture to improve from Severe Drought conditions, the region was more susceptible to flooding. The long-duration rainfall event allowed streams to rise gradually, making for numerous instances of mainly minor areal and riverine flooding. However, flash flooding occurred across the Piedmont in the wake of the convective band. Multiple roads and bridges were reported flooded and impassible because of the rainfall, with a few becoming damaged.
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 Jan 8, 6:52 PM EST, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier.
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</html>The Roanoke radar (KFCX), 87 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 04:59 UTC.
25 flood, 4 flash flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
A personal weather station (Weather Underground: KNCSILOA8) recorded a 12-rainfall amount of 3.63 inches. This is about a 5-year Average Recurrence Interval event per NOAA Atlas 14 Point Precipitation Frequency estimates.
A portion of Chestnut Way within the Beech Mountain Community was washed out by heavy runoff from around 2 inches of rainfall over a 10 hour period, makin the road impassible. Runoff also caused multiple feet of water to pond across nearby Grassy Gap Road. Property damage is the estimated cost to repair Chestnut Way.
The Watauga River near Sugar Grove, NC (SGWN7), crested at 10.81 feet (6,570 cfs) at 4 pm EST on the 9th above the flood stage of 6.0 feet. The flooding was the result of between 3.5 and locally 4.5 inches of rain falling across the headwaters, most of which fell between 2 am and 3 pm EST on the 9th. This is the highest since 13.01 feet occurred in November 2022. This event is a little over a 2-year event (50% Annual Exceedance Probability) per USGS StreamStats. Portions of Watauga River road become flooded at this stage, but no damage was reported.
South Van Buren Road in Yadkinville was flooded and impassible due to prolonged moderate rainfall amounts of around 2.5 inches in a period of 10 hours. No damage was reported and the road was reopened after the flood water receded.
A prolonged period of moderate rainfall, with amounts of 2 to 2.5 inches, caused Center Road to begin flooding in at least two locations. Rainfall continued through around 5 pm EST before ending, allowing water to receded off the roadway. No damage was reported.
Prolonged moderate rainfall, with over 2 inches having fallen within a 10 hour period, caused a pond to overflow its banks and spill across Old Creek Road. No damage was reported.
A small creek overflowed its bank and flooded across County Home Road due to moderate rainfall of 2 to 2.5 inches over a 10 hour period. The road was closed until the flooding receded. No damage was reported.
Runoff from around two inches of rain falling over a 10-hour period caused flooding of Highway 194 at Brookshire Road as water poured off the adjacent hillside. No damage was reported and the road was open to traffic after the water receded.
Brookshire Road was reported to be flooded and impassible for a few hours due to runoff from as much as 2.5 inches of rain falling over a 10 hour period. No damage was reported and the road was reopened to traffic after the flooding receded.
The Roby Green bridge over the South Fork New River was closed due to high water over the roadway. No damage was reported, and the bridge was open to traffic after the water receded.
Water from the Willowbrook Carp Lake is overflowing the lake's spillway at least 6 inches deep across Highway 286 near the intersection of Willowbrook Trail. No damage was reported to the road, and it was reopened to traffic after the flooding receded.
A small pond overflowed its banks due to prolonged moderate rainfall, and flooded across Princess Trail. No damage to the road was reported.
Rainfall amounts of around 2.5 inches were observed over a 10-hour period near the community of Pilot Mountain, NC. Runoff from this rainfall caused Highway 268 to become flooded and impassible near the intersection with Whitaker Road. No damage was reported and the road was open to traffic once the flooding receded.
Runoff from heavy rainfall caused Hogan Creek to flood out of its banks and across the Hogan Creek Road bridge. Water from Hogan Creek continued to rise, reaching the foundation of a nearby home, forcing the residents to evacuate to higher ground. No damage was reported however.
Rainfall amounts of around 2.5 inches were observed falling over a 10-hour period in the community of Pilot Mountain, NC. Runoff from this rainfall resulted in flooding over East Main Street. No damage was reported and the road was open to traffic once the flooding receded.
The Ararat River at Mt. Airy, NC (ARLN7) crested at a stage of 20.92 feet, rising above the minor flood stage of 20.5 feet. This is the second highest crest in the young history of this gage and the highest crest since 8/28/2023. Portions of Riverside Park were briefly flooded, with no damage reported.
Moravian Creek at Wilkesboro (MCWN7) crested at 15.53 feet during the afternoon of January 9th after three to locally four inches of rain fell within the Moravian Creek basin during a 10-hour period. Per the Wilkesboro Journal-Patriot newspaper: Wilkes Community College officials closed the lower campus in Wilkesboro early Tuesday afternoon as Moravian Creek began leaving its banks. Much of the grounds of the lower campus were flooded, but floodwaters didn’t reach Thompson Hall, Hayes Hall, Lovette Hall or any other main buildings on the lower campus. No damage was reported.
Rainfall amounts of around 2.5 inches were observed falling over a 10-hour period in the Mt. Airy, NC area. Runoff from this rainfall caused a small stream to overflow its banks and flood across Lovers Lane near the intersection with Hilda Drive. No damage was reported and the road was open to traffic once the flooding receded.
Around 3.25 inches of rain was observed falling over a 10-hour period near the community of Rockford, NC. Runoff from this rainfall caused a small creek to overflow its banks across Rockford Road. No damage was reported and the road was open to traffic once the flooding receded.
Runoff from nearly three inches of rain falling over a 10-hour period caused a small tributary of the Ararat River to overflow its banks and flood several inches deep across John Scott Road. No damage was reported to the road and it was open after the flooding receded.
A portion of Highway 89 was completely washed out and destroyed due to runoff from heavy rainfall. The road was washed out just north of the intersection with Highway 8, making the road impassible to traffic. Repairs were expected to take from weeks to months to complete.
The Yadkin River at Elkin, NC (ELKN7) crested at 21.09 feet (23,400 cfs) above the moderate flood stage of 21 feet at 9 pm EST on the 9th (10/0200 UTC). The flooding was the result of between three and four inches of rain covering a large area of the headwaters, most of which fell between 2 am and 4 pm EST on the 9th. This crest is tied for the 10th-highest documented crest of this gage, and the highest since November 12, 2020. This event is between a 10-year event and a 25-year event (10%-25% Annual Exceedance Probability) per USGS StreamStats. Backwater flooding was observed along Big Elkin Creek, flooding Memorial Park Drive, as well as the athletic fields of Elkin Municipal Park. Portions of Crater Park were also flooded as the river came out of its banks. Property damage is the estimated clean up and debris removal from the flooding.
Runoff from heavy rainfall caused the railroad underpass next to the intersection of Harrison Street and East Market Street to flood about three feet deep. No damage to the underpass was reported and the underpass was reopened to traffic after the water receded.
The Ararat River at Ararat, NC (ARRN7) crested at a stage of 15.00 feet (12,200 cfs) at 7 pm EST on 1/9/24, rising above the minor flood stage of 13.0 feet. This is the 9th highest crest at this gage and the highest crest since 10/29/2020. This event is between a 5-year and a 10-year ARI (20%-10% AEP) per USGS StreamStats. Portions of Radar Road just upstream from the gage were affected by flooding, but no damage was reported after the water receded.
Brush Creek was observed flowing across the bridge on Scenic Valley Road. No damage was reported and the road was reopened to traffic after the flooding receded. Multiple personal weather stations in the area reported 2 to locally 4 inches of rainfall within a 12-hour period ending 4 pm EST on the 9th.
The Yadkin River at Wilkesboro, NC (WKSN7), crested at 14.12 feet (11,500 cfs) at 5 pm EST on the 9th (09/2200 UTC) above the minor flood stage of 14.0 feet. The flooding was the result of between three and four inches of rain covering a large area of the headwaters, most of which fell between 2 am and 4 pm EST on the 9th. This is the 22nd-highest documented crest of this gage, and the highest since October 29, 2020. This event is less than a 2-year event (50% Annual Exceedance Probability) per USGS StreamStats. Portions of Wilkesboro Avenue in front of Midtown Plaza were flooded, as well as some of the businesses along the south side of that portion of Wilkesboro Avenue. Police blocked Wilkesboro Avenue from where it intersects with Wilkesboro Boulevard near the Yadkin River bridge to the intersection with Ninth Street.
The Mayo River near Price, NC (PRIN7) crested at a stage of 9.95 feet (10,300 cfs) at 21:00 EST on 1/9/24, rising above the minor flood stage of 8.0 feet. This is the 16th highest crest at this gage and the highest crest since 11/12/2020. This event is close to a 5-year ARI (20% AEP) per USGS StreamStats. No damage was reported with this event.
The Dan River at Wentworth, NC (WENN7) crested somewhere near a stage of 24.84 feet (28,800 cfs) at around 11:15 am EST on 1/10/24, rising above the minor flood stage of 19.0 feet. The gage experienced a equipment failure during the flooding event, so the stage heights were estimated by the USGS based on a crest gage. This is likely the highest crest since 11/13/2020, and would be close to a 10-year ARI (10% AEP) per USGS StreamStats. At this stage, both Dan River Road and River Road nearby the gage would become partially flooded and impassible.
The Smith River at Eden, NC (EDSN7) crested at a stage of 12.72 feet (15,300 cfs) at 2 am EST on 1/10/24, rising above the minor flood stage of 12.0 feet. This is the 18th highest crest at this gage and the highest crest since 11/12/2020. This event is around a 2-year ARI (50% AEP) per USGS StreamStats. No damage was reported in this event.
The Dan River at Pine Hall, NC (PNHN7) crested at a stage of 24.60 feet (18,600 cfs) at 3:30 am EST on 1/10/24, rising above the minor flood stage of 23.0 feet. This is the 6th highest crest at this gage and the highest crest since 11/13/2020. This event is around a 5-year ARI (20% AEP) per USGS StreamStats.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, January 2024
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: 1157633, 1158062, 1157252, 1157554, 1157558, 1157561, 1157567, 1158063, 1158068, 1158070, 1157416, 1157594, 1157595, 1157417, 1157597, 1157380, 1158383, 1157599, 1157600, 1157602, 1157415, 1157239, 1157414, 1157376, 1157387, 1157251, 1157372, 1157374, 1157363, 1147449.