Tornadoes in North Carolina were possible on Sunday as the remnants of Hurricane Isaias moved north and brought heavy rain to western North Carolina. Rivers overflowed, and flooding threats persisted even as rainfall began to diminish.
Western North Carolina flooding
In western North Carolina, heavy rainfall raised the risk of flash and urban flooding. The National Weather Service said rapid river rises and flooding remained possible, keeping the threat active after the storm’s rain had started to ease.
In Burke County, floodwaters from the Catawba River caught an unhoused male and female camping off guard. They were rescued with their dog, and a woman trapped inside her car in floodwaters was freed outside of Morganton.
McDowell County overnight
In McDowell County, first responders dealt with five landslides overnight Saturday into Sunday and handled voluntary evacuations. Nearly a dozen local weather stations reported torrential 24-hour rainfall totals at 9 a.m. Sunday, with totals ranging from about 5 inches to 9.57 inches at the fire/rescue station in Enola.
McDowell County emergency management posted online after the overnight response: “Despite a challenging night, we are thankful to report no known injuries or loss of life. We call that a success!” That left the county with major road and water problems to manage, but no known injuries or loss of life from the slides and evacuations.
Isaias after Destin
Isaias came ashore as a Category 2 hurricane Friday near Destin and was linked to at least four deaths before it roared into Alabama with tropical-force winds and then moved farther north. The storm’s path put Virginia and North Carolina in the area where tornadoes were possible on Sunday, along with continued flooding concerns in the mountains and nearby regions.
For people in Burke County and McDowell County, the practical next step was to stay alert for fast river rises, flooded roads and new slides while the ground remained saturated. The storm had already shifted from wind threat to water threat, and the water threat had not fully passed.
