HEAVY RAINFALL CAUSES FLASH FLOODING IN MULTIPLE COUNTIES PROMPTING ROAD CLOSURES

Heavy and persistent rainfall caused flash flooding across several counties in Western North Carolina on Tuesday.

As of 1:30 p.m., Rutherford County declared a State of Emergency due to severe weather.

Tuesday afternoon around 12:15 p.m., McDowell County Emergency Management issued a voluntary evacuation order for Riverbreeze Campground located on Riverbreeze Road. in Marion. Campers are encouraged to move to higher ground as a flash flood warning remains in effect for McDowell County. This action is occurring to protect life and property due to 3-4 inches of rain that has already fallen and projected river levels for the Catawba River through late afternoon on Tuesday.

NCDOT reported around 12:22 p.m. that US-64 was closed in the Cullasaja Gorge area of Macon County. A photo posted to X shows what appeared to be part of a washed out road. The highway is closed from Buck Creek Road to Brush Creek Road in both directions for an undetermined amount of time.

An alert from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office said floodwaters from both Mud and Bat Fork Creeks will worsen as the day wears on and considerable flooding is expected throughout greater Hendersonville. Developing flooding is also expected on other tributaries of the French Broad River such as Mills River and Cane and Clear Creeks.

News 13 crews in Transylvania County found flooding along Glade Creek Road.

Heavy rain flooded roads and forced some schools to close their doors early Tuesday.

Flood Watches, High Wind Warnings, and Wind Advisories are in effect for areas around North Carolina's mountains and Upstate South Carolina until Tuesday evening.

Drenching rains are expected to continue through the morning, causing rain totals to add up quickly, leading to problems with flooding.

Hendersonville leaders say the city has upgraded to a Level 3 - Significant Flooding Phase response plan. News 13 crews found Greenville Highway and White Street in Hendersonville were blocked off around 5 a.m.

As of 9:15 a.m., the following Hendersonville roads are closed:

Caswell between King and Grove
Greenville Hwy/Spartanburg Hwy/White Street area
South Main Street/South King Street
South Grove Street and Barnwell
Patton Park is closed

Click here to view NCDOT's real-time road conditions map.

The City of Asheville is providing rolling updated on city services, programs, roads, and parks at ashevillenc.gov.

An area in Black Mountain experienced an ice storm during Tuesday's rain. Broad River Volunteer Fire & Rescue said NC-9 near High Rock Acres was closed due to downed power lines and trees and ice in the roadway.

POWER OUTAGES

As of 1 p.m., Duke Energy says about 450 customers are without power in Buncombe County. See updated information about power outages on Duke Energy's Outage Map.