Floods create sinkholes, submerge roads in central North Carolina

Flash floods impacted parts of central North Carolina on July 15, with reports of flooded roads and basements in Burlington and Mount Airy.

Several slow-moving storm cells developed over the Piedmont Triad during the afternoon and evening, producing intense rainfall in localized areas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued flash flood warnings for Guilford and Alamance counties, with additional alerts extended into Caswell, Rowan, and Davidson counties. In Virginia, Patrick, and Henry counties were under a Flood Watch until midnight.

A Flood Watch was issued for much of central North Carolina and southern Virginia earlier on July 15, with rainfall rates exceeding 25 mm (1 inch) per hour in some locations.

The flooding led to the cancellation of the Burlington City Council’s meeting scheduled for 19:00 on July 15. According to the Burlington Fire Department, numerous intersections were flooded around Burlington, and there were reports of basement flooding.

Videos and images shared on social media showed flooded intersections and submerged vehicles in Burlington. Basements in parts of Mount Airy were also reportedly inundated.

In Greensboro, sinkholes were reported due to the heavy rainfall, while police confirmed multiple road closures caused by downed trees and power lines on July 15.

Affected roads included all lanes of Summit Avenue between New Creek Lane and Lauderdale Road, southbound lanes of Rudd Station Road at Corporate Park Drive, and eastbound lanes of Scott Road at Lewis Farm Lane.

The flooding was caused by high atmospheric moisture and weak steering currents, which allowed storm cells to remain stationary. This convective training effect resulted in locally excessive rainfall over a short time frame.

This flood episode occurred just days after Tropical Storm Chantal caused at least six fatalities in North Carolina, bringing once in 1 000 years floods following its landfall at Litchfield Beach, South Carolina, on July 6.

Residents in the region are still recovering from the storm, which brought around 305 mm (12 inches) of rainfall to some areas, saturating the soil. The historic floods saturated soil exacerbating the floods on July 15, as even low rainfall totals caused significant runoff in many locations.

According to local forecasts, more rounds of heavy rainfall are expected through mid-week. While no widespread severe weather is anticipated, the NWS warns of possible additional flash flooding and isolated wind gusts exceeding 60 km/h (37 mph).

Authorities continue to monitor saturated soils and river levels across the region. Travelers and residents in flood-prone areas are advised to remain alert to further warnings.

Rishav Kothari

I am an Assistant Editor and Severe Weather & Science Journalist at The Watchers, specializing in real-time severe weather coverage, geophysical event reporting, and research-driven scientific analysis. You can reach me at rishav(at)watchers(.)news.

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