When Will Florence Move Into WNC?
Florence will begin to affect Western North Carolina sometime tomorrow afternoon. My best guess is from 2-4pm rainfall will begin, but that is a guess due to the nature of how this storm has evolved. You can see for the projection map below that 3”-5” of rainfall is certainly possible thru Tuesday morning, so this will not be a short event. Areas along the Blue Ridge Escarpment will see more rainfall compared to the Asheville area. Totals along the Eastern Escarpment will range from 5”-8”+.
NCEP WPC Accumulated Precip Map
What Should I Be Concerned About?
In May we had many landslides along the Blue Ridge Escarpment, and that caused numerous problems. Sections of I-40 were closed due to mudslides, and loss of life occurred in Polk Co. Please be mindful if you live around a location that experience a mudflow in may, that it may occur again this weekend. It has been extremely wet this year, and these rainfall totals will only further our attempt to break the record for rainiest year on record (2013). Rivers and streams could rise quickly when heavy baking moves into WNC, so if you live near a creek.. be prepared to move to higher ground. Have a plan for your family, that is the best thing that you can do.
Flooding
Always turn around, don’t drown. Its common sense that if you cannot see the line on the road, the water could be too deep to drive through. Some roads could become impassable this weekend and into next week, especially locations in Burke & McDowell Counties. If you see flooding, please report it to Ashevillewx on Facebook, or email me at Ashevillewx@gmail.com. Check back for another update tomorrow as we brace for the storm.
