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Flash Flood — Haywood, North Carolina
August 17, 2021 · NOAA Storm Events record
Event narrative (NOAA)
Emergency management and stream gauges reported catastrophic flash flooding developed within the Pigeon River watershed after 6 to 8 inches of rain fell in just a few hours across the northern slopes of the Balsams. This was on top of 5 to 10 inches that fell over the Shining Rock Wilderness during the morning of the 16th, resulting in 36-hour totals of more than a foot. Flash flooding initially developed along the West Fork and especially the East Fork of the Pigeon River. Water from the latter stream, swept downstream through the Cruso community causing widespread damage. Six people were killed in Cruso, four of them in a campground along the East Fork, where numerous recreational vehicles and automobiles were swept away. Water from the two forks of the river rushed downstream to the mai
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Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.