ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg office has issued a flood advisory warning until 9:30 p.m. this evening due to heavy rainfall in south central Buncombe County.
The NWS reported that at 6:23 p.m., Friday, Aug. 21, Doppler radar and automated rain gauges detected torrential rain rates of three to five inches per hour due to merging thunderstorm cells.
Over the next half-hour to hour, between one and two-and-a-half inches of rainfall could overwhelm storm drains and create nuisance flooding on roadways around the region.
Water has already begun to pool on roadways like Smokey Park Highway in West Asheville, where instances of hydroplaning has also been reported.
The NWS said that excessive runoff could cause rapid rise of streams around the Asheville area, such as Sweeten Creek in Biltmore Village, Gashes Creek, Haw Creek, Ram Branch at the Biltmore Estate and Pond Branch.
Other likely flooding locations include downtown Asheville, East Asheville, West Asheville, Fairview, Biltmore Forest, Skyland, Enka and portions of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Area meteorologists have reported that heavy winds and hail are also possible around Buncombe County and Henderson County, including the Fairview, Bat Cave, Skyland, Fletcher, Gerton and Edneyville areas.