Full Notification

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for... Southeastern Buncombe County in western North Carolina... Southwestern McDowell County in western North Carolina... Northwestern Rutherford County in western North Carolina...

* Until 300 PM EDT.

* At 1102 AM EDT, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges indicated repeated showers and embedded thunderstorms producing very heavy rainfall across the warned area. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain have fallen over the past six hours and additional rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible in the warned area through early afternoon. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. HAZARD...Flash flooding caused by showers and thunderstorms. SOURCE...Radar and automated gauges. IMPACT...Flash flooding of small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses as well as other poor drainage and low-lying areas.

* Some locations that will experience flash flooding include... Marion, Lake Lure, Old Fort, Chimney Rock Village, B.R. Parkway-Craggy To Little Switzerland, Bat Cave, Chimney Rock State Park, Montreat, Sugar Hill, Pleasant Gardens, Shingle Hollow, Busick, Woodlawn, Green Hill and Little Switzerland. Flooding is most likely along Crooked Creek, Taylor Creek, Buffalo Creek, and tributaries to the Catawba River.

* AFFECTED AREAS: BUNCOMBE, NC ... MCDOWELL, NC ... RUTHERFORD, NC

Instructions:

Heavy rain is increasing the risk of landslides, especially in areas where slides have occurred in the past. Be especially alert if you are near a stream, especially at the base of a mountain or in a cove. Watch for loose-moving soil and rocks or a sudden increase in streamflow. Leave the area quickly if this is observed. When driving along roads where the terrain is steep or rocky, watch and listen for falling rocks, mud, trees and other debris. Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles.