Local News Brief
A heavy and persistent rainstorm late Saturday afternoon that dumped over 3 inches of rain in a three hour period resulted in several landslides in the area of the Nantahala Gorge, trapping some people for a time before they were rescued. NCDOT crews are working to clear the slides and stabilize slopes before re-opening the road on Tuesday. If this area is between you and your planned destination, you should plan to detour around the area. Updates on the progress of the cleanup are posted below.
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NCDOT crews have started rebuilding the embankment and shoulder by the a slide in the Nantahala Gorge. The slide washed out a section 80-feet wide and knocked down branches 25 feet high above the road. These rocks are being placed at what used to be the edge of the river. pic.twitter.com/DaLPHW8FdL— NCDOT Western Mts (@NCDOT_Westmtn) August 25, 2019
Press Release from the NCDOT dated Sunday Night at 6:32 pm
NCDOT Crews Clearing Four Slides in Nantahala Gorge
Officials anticipate opening the road Tuesday
BRYSON CITY – N.C. Department of Transportation crews are working around the clock on U.S. 19/74 until the highway is open through the Nantahala Gorge.
A severe deluge dropped 3.5 inches of rain in the gorge on Saturday and triggered slides that covered the road in four locations within a half-mile stretch on the western side of the gorge and spread debris from the mountainside into the river at three locations.
Transportation officials anticipate opening the road to traffic on Tuesday afternoon or evening.
“Slides one, two and three had no structural damage to the road, but at slide four, we need to build it back and that should take two more days,” Division 14 Maintenance Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “We will be working 24 hours a day because this is a critical roadway.”
More than 50 NCDOT employees and contract employees are removing mud, trees and rocks from the road from at three largest locations after clearing the smallest debris pile early Sunday. Those employees are utilizing 15 trucks, four front-end loaders, three track-excavators in addition to chainsaws and hand tools.
Three locations are expected to be cleaned by Monday morning in time to begin repairing small sections of guardrail and patching asphalt in spots.
The largest site — where the debris flow washed away 80 feet of guardrail and shoulder while rocks broke limbs 25 feet above the road — requires additional repairs.
Two excavators dug out loose soil beside the road Sunday morning and began rebuilding the embankment between the road and the river Sunday afternoon. Two more days of work remain to rebuild the support, the road surface and safety features.
NCDOT crews from four counties — Cherokee and Graham from the west, with Swain and Jackson from the east — on Saturday night. They cleared a path to remove between 12-15 vehicles that had been stuck between slides around 12:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Engineers arrived on site at sunrise Sunday to assess the damage and develop the plan employees are enacting now. Early estimates indicate that repairs will cost around $500,000.
“Sometimes we’ll be out here cleaning up a little mud or small trees in this gorge after rain events,” Grindstaff said. “But nothing like this. With an average of 4,500 cars per day on this road — there’s more in the summer and rafting season — we know how important is to get the road open quickly.”
For real-time travel information, visit DriveNC.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
Here are a press release and images provided by the USFS regarding the slides that were received via email at 1:01pm on Sunday, August 25th.
Landslides temporarily close US 19/74 and Nantahala River
Franklin, NC - August 25, 2019 - Several landslides on the Nantahala Ranger District have temporarily closed US 19/74 and the Nantahala River in the Nantahala Gorge in Swain County.
Crews from the North Carolina Department of Transportation are clearing debris from US 19/74. Their operations are expected to continue into Tuesday. A detour has been established. Westbound vehicles will take NC 28 West to Steccoah then NC 143 South to Robbinsville then NC 129 South to Topton and US 19/74. Eastbound traffic goes in reverse. Follow @NCDOT_Westmtn on Twitter (twitter.com/NCDOT_Westmtn) for traffic updates.
All river rafting and kayaking operations on the Nantahala River have been temporarily suspended. Debris from the landslides has entered the river making passage extremely hazardous.
Visitors should avoid these areas to ensure their own safety and that of crews assessing and clearing debris. Follow the National Forests in North Carolina on Facebook (www.facebook.com/nfsnc) or Twitter (twitter.com/NFsNCarolina) for updates and photos.
Outlook
A cool wedge of high pressure will linger across the region into Monday. Warmer air and increased shower chances are on tap ahead of an approaching cold front Tuesday and Wednesday. Drier weather is possible behind the front to end the work week.
THREE DAY GFS FORECAST
This animated image shows a forecast of precipitation, air pressure and thickness level (cold-air damming) for three days in six-hour increments.
Green, Yellow, and Red indicate rain. Orange and Purple Indicate Freezing Rain or other freezing precipitation. Blue indicates snow.
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Weather Hazards
Hazardous weather is not expected today. Isolated to scattered showers and thundertorms are likely.
**Note** A Tropical Weather Outlook section has been added to the daily weather briefing for the Atlantic Hurricane Season, and since those tend to run long when there is activity, that section has been added between the daily forecasts for the four regions of the county and the almanac section so people can get to their daily forecasts with minimal interference.
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WEATHER FORECAST MAPS
Forecast maps for 7 am, 1 pm, and 7 pm.
[click on any image in this article to enlarge]
FRANKLIN AREA FORECAST
Today
A 30 percent chance of rain, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 75. WInds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday Night
Rain likely, mainly after 4am. Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low in the low-to-mid 60s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely between 8am and 3pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 80. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming light and variable by midmorning. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Wednesday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high near 85. Chance of rain is 40%.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.
OTTO AREA FORECAST
Today
A chance of rain, mainly between 11am and 4pm, then a chance of showers after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high in the low-to-mid 70s. WInds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight
Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 9pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low in the low-to-mid 60s. WInds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high in the mid-to-upper 70s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm by midmorning. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. Calm winds. Chance of rain is 40%.
Wednesday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high in the low-to-mid 80s. Chance of rain is 40%.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around 60.
HIGHLANDS PLATEAU FORECAST
Today
Patchy fog after 5pm. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high in the low-to-mid 60s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday Night
Rain likely, mainly after 2am. Patchy fog after 7pm. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low in the upper 50s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely, mainly between 8am and 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 65. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 8 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Tuesday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. Light winds out of the west. Chance of rain is 30%.
Wednesday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 9am. Partly sunny, with a high in the lower 70s. Chance of rain is 40%.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low in the upper 50s.
NANTAHALA AREA FORECAST
Today
A chance of rain, mainly between 11am and 4pm, then a chance of showers after 4pm. Patchy fog in the morning. Otherwise, cloudy, with a high in the low-to-mid 70s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Monday Night
A chance of showers before 7pm, then rain likely, mainly after 5am. Patchy fog. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 60. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Tuesday
Rain likely before 8am, then showers likely between 8am and 2pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high in the mid-70s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph shifting to come out of the southwest in the afternoon. Chance of rain is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low in the low-to-mid 60s. Calm winds.
Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Partly sunny, with a high near 80.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy, with lows in the upper 50s.
TROPICAL WEATHER OUTLOOK Things are starting to heat up
Tropical Weather Outlook
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL
200 AM EDT Mon Aug 26 2019
For the North Atlantic...Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Tropical Storm Dorian, located several hundred miles east-southeast of the Lesser Antilles.
1. An elongated area of low pressure centered about 280 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina has become a little better organized this morning. Environmental conditions appear conducive for gradual development, and a tropical or subtropical cyclone is likely to form today or Tuesday while the system moves slowly northeastward well offshore of the southeastern United States. Interests along the coasts of South and North Carolina should continue to monitor the progress of this system. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate the system later today, if necessary.
* Formation chance through 48 hours...high...80 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days...high...80 percent.
Weather Extremes for Macon County for the month of August
Data available from 1872 to 2018
Highest Temperature 99°F in Franklin on 08-09-1980
Lowest Temperature 40°F at the Coweeta Experimental Station on 08-29-1968
Greatest Rainfall 9.68 inches in Highlands on 08-13-1940
Greatest Snowfall no measurable snowfall has been recorded since records started being kept in 1873
Weather Extremes for North Carolina for the month of July
Data available from 1870 to 2018
Highest Temperature 110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County 08-21-1983
Lowest Temperature 31°F Banner Elk, Avery County 08-23-1930
Greatest One-Day Rainfall 13.08 in Idlewild, Ashe County 08-14-1930
Monthly Averages
Warmest Weather Station 79.7°F Wilmington, New Hanover County
Coldest Weather Station 59.6°F Mount Mitchell, Yancey County
Wettest Weather Station 7.74 in Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County
Driest Weather Station 3.12 in Lexington, Davidson County
Published at 4:10am on August 26, 2019
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