Forecasters warn of heavy weekend rain, potential for ‘devastating flood event’

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Asheville-area weather forecasters are warning that the possibility of more heavy rain this weekend. The National Weather Service has issued a “hazardous weather outlook” for Western North Carolina as tropical storm Joaquin approaches the East Cost. The exact path of the storm is unclear, by heavy rain is possible.

WLOS meteorologist Jason Boyer has already sounded the alarm on Facebook. Here’s his post:

As more and more model data comes in, the potential for a devastating flood event for Western North Carolina is growing.
In short, moisture from a cold front that moves through today will likely begin to spread an intensify rainfall across the region starting tomorrow.
Heaviest rain likely falls from Friday through early Sunday. Hurricane Joaquin will play a major role in this as more moisture from it is pushed westward over the remnants of a cold front.
Worst case scenario would mean one to two feet of rain for areas along the Eastern Continental Divide into the Foothills and Piedmont, along with sustained winds of 40+ miles per hour.
Widespread power outages, along with significant flooding would be likely.
While there is still time for a shift in the track of Joaquin, and thus the rainfall, now is the time to start thinking about an emergency plan of action.
If you live in a typical flood-prone area (near creeks, streams & rivers), be prepared for extensive flooding. Also be prepared to be without power for an extended period (several days at least).
While it’s certainly not time to panic, this is a case of it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Stay with News 13 and the SkyWatch Weather Team for extensive coverage of this developing situation.

Ray’s Weather notes that Joaquin will join up with existing weather patterns to funnel a ton of moisture through North and South Carolina, but it’s too early to tell how much or whether Western North Carolina will get nailed.

The weekend rain will add to the drenching WNC has already received over the past several days. Rainfall totals vary across the region, with most areas seeing 4 to 6 inches, but other areas of the mountains racking up significantly higher totals.