Flash Flood in North Carolina
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in North Carolina, year by year, with the most significant episodes. 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.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in North Carolina.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 4,053
- Deaths
- 147
- Injuries
- 29
- Damage
- $2.7 billion
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Tornado and Tropical Storm in North Carolina, September 25 to 29, 2024Tropical Cyclone Helene began organizing over the western Caribbean on the 23rd and 24th of September before rapidly intensifying as it moved north through the eastern Gulf of Mexico on the 25th and 26th.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 15 to 16, 1999Rainfall associated with Hurricane Floyd produced unprecedented flash flooding across the eastern half of the state. Every river and stream flooded nearby roads and communities.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, October 8 to 13, 2016Hurricane Matthew skirted by the North Carolina coast on October 8, 2016, dropping torrential rainfall of 8 to 15 inches and producing wind gusts of 50 to 70 mph across Central and Eastern North Carolina.
- Tornadoes and Tropical Storm in North Carolina, September 13 to 25, 2018A ridge of high pressure over eastern North America stalled Florence's forward motion a few miles off the southeast North Carolina coast on September 13th.
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in North Carolina, September 13 to 18, 2018Hurricane Florence was a long-lived Cape Verde hurricane and the wettest tropical cyclone on record in the Carolinas.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in North Carolina, November 12 to 14, 2020Tropical Cyclone Eta moved from the eastern Gulf of Mexico, across the northern Florida peninsula, to off the South Carolina coast throughout the 11th and 12th.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 17 to 18, 2021Tropical Storm Fred made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on the 16th and lifted steadily north through Georgia and into the southern Appalachians during the 16th and throughout the 17th.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in North Carolina, October 8 to 17, 2016Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, July 6 to 7, 2025Tropical Storm Chantal made landfall over northeastern South Carolina during the morning hours of July 6.
- Hurricane and Tropical Storm in North Carolina, October 8 to 13, 2016Hurricane Matthew moved northeast offshore of the North Carolina coast late on October 8th through October 9th. Widespread heavy rain developed on October 8th and continued through early on October 9th as Matthew approached and moved offshore of the coast.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 25 to 28, 2024Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida as a powerful Category 4 hurricane late Thursday, September 26, and moved quickly northward into the southeastern states, and then turned slightly northwestward towards the southern Appalachian Mountains overnight into Friday morning,…
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 27 to 30, 2010A stalled front across eastern North Carolina combined with a deep southerly flow of very moist air led to several days of torrential rain across eastern North Carolina from September 27th through the 30th.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 30, 2022Hurricane Ian made landfall along the South Carolina coast near Georgetown during the early afternoon hours of September 30, 2022.
- Hurricane and Tornadoes in North Carolina, September 14 to 16, 2018Hurricane Florence began its long Atlantic trek from the Cape Verde Islands in early September. It made landfall near Wrightsville Beach during the morning of September 14th.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in North Carolina, June 16, 2003Highway 24 in southern Montgomery County was flooded, along with several other secondary roads.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, March 28 to 29, 2010Convection developed ahead of an amplified upper trough across the Tennessee Valley|while a strong southerly mid and upper level jet provided strong shear across the region.
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, July 23, 1997A cluster of thunderstorms producing very heavy rain sank south in the Charlotte metro area shortly before midnight of the 23rd and continued to redevelop over the area through mid-morning. Severe flash flooding resulted as nearly 10 inches of rain fell in some spots.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, May 8 to 9, 2008A strong upper level low moving east-northeast across Kentucky and Tennessee, triggered several instances of severe damaging winds and two tornadoes across the Triad region in the northwest piedmont of North Carolina.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Carolina, July 19, 2023An old thunderstorm complex moving across the area from the prior evening of the 18th entered a more favorable environment by midday and developed a tornado that tracked several miles over the northern Coastal Plain of central NC.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 7 to 8, 2024Tropical Depression Debby slowly made its way through Florida, off the South Carolina coast, then back inland through the western Piedmont of North Carolina during the evening hours of 8 August 2024.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, April 15, 2018A strong upper low moved from Iowa across the Lower Great Lakes region, with a deep trough taking on a negative tilt while swinging into North Carolina.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 27, 2024Hurricane Helene weakened to a strong tropical storm on the morning of 27 September across northeast Georgia. Helene continued to track to the west and northwest into the Tennessee Valley.
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, August 5, 2011A slow moving thunderstorm complex affected the western North Carolina piedmont during the late morning and afternoon hours. Rainfall amounts of 4 to 7 inches were reported, resulting in flash flooding in a number of locations.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, October 23 to 24, 2017A band of rain showers along and ahead of a strong cold front quickly intensified during the afternoon across Upstate South Carolina, then moved quickly northeast into the North Carolina foothills and far western Piedmont.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in North Carolina, August 31, 2020Warm moist air lifted along a wavy stationary front. This combined with slow moving and merging thunderstorms resulted in heavy rain and flash flooding, including a dam break in Johnston County and two fatalities.
More
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 2026-09-24.