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north carolina's rainfall record is set
by IrishiiiPublished Jul. 15, 2009
Views: 286
Today in Weather History:
1916 - 22 (Yes, twenty-two) inches of rain fall in Altapass, NC, setting the state's 24 hour rainfall record. It came from an unnamed tropical atlantic stormed that stalled out over the mountains near Asheville.
The storm was centered in the vicinity of Asheville where rainfall exceeded all past records and the damage was tremendous. The maximum rainfall of 22.22 inches was the highest 24-hour precipitation ever recorded in the United States. The Catawba River, rising in Western North Carolina, was the chief outlet for this deluge. As a result the principal damage in Mecklenburg County was confined to the Catawba River, where all bridges of the river were destroyed as was much adjacent property. Total overall property damage of the flood was estimated at $21,724,085. Best estimates place the loss of life at about 80.
Details of this catastrophe are contained in three books: Bell, W. M., The North Carolina Flood; Southern Railway, The Floods of July 1916; and Greene, Ivery C., A Disasterous Flood.
The US Record Rainfall is now 43 inches in Alvin, Texas, between July 25 and 26 in 1979. Tropical Storm Claudette generated the rain and the accompanying 52 mph winds.
Filed under: Weather
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GOLO member since September 22, 2008
July 15, 2009 2:12 p.m.
Gaston County was then one of the largest producers of textiles in the country, if not the world.
And THAT is why the railroads stopped there so often." -smorg
I'm glad to know another Gastonian is on here!!!
Actually, Lincolnton was the original seat for the now Gaston/Lincoln county (they used to be just Lincoln county). The railroad indeed set up a depot in what is now Gastonia because of the mills. But Gastonia wasn't a town until *after* the depot was established. That's also the issue with Durham.
Obviously there were significant operations in the milltowns in southern Lincoln county, then later as Gaston County (named after NC's only Catholic governor, btw). But those milltowns (Stowe, Rand, Love, Crowder, etc.) were not incorporated towns (except Ranlo???). The incorporation of Gastonia came as a net result of the mills + the RR.
GOLO member since September 22, 2008
July 15, 2009 2:10 p.m.
GOLO member since March 27, 2009
July 15, 2009 11:02 a.m.
GOLO member since February 21, 2008
July 15, 2009 10:48 a.m.
The Schiele Museum houses the single, largest collection of North American land animals ANYWHERE (including the Smithsonian).
It's a grand day's adventure to go there!
GOLO member since July 15, 2007
July 15, 2009 10:32 a.m.
Gaston County was then one of the largest producers of textiles in the country, if not the world.
And THAT is why the railroads stopped there so often.
The tiny town of McAdenville (aka: "Christmastown USA") was nearly wiped from the map in that flood.
Other towns along that stretch of the Catawba River suffered as well: Belmont and Mt. Holly, just to mention two.
GOLO member since July 15, 2007
July 15, 2009 10:30 a.m.
GOLO member since September 22, 2008
July 15, 2009 10:29 a.m.
GOLO member since July 26, 2007
July 15, 2009 10:28 a.m.
GOLO member since September 22, 2008
July 15, 2009 10:21 a.m.
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