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August Ends with Flash Flood Watch to Wrap Up a Damp Month in the High Country

By Nathan Ham

Rain measurements certainly vary across the High Country, but for most of the residents, it has been a month of showers and storms popping up almost daily.

According to data from Ray’s Weather Center, Boone received measurable rainfall on 22 of the 31 days in August. Overall, Boone had 6.48 inches of rain heading into Monday, which could end up being one of the rainiest days of the month. The National Weather Service has issued a Flash Flood Watch for Watauga County through midnight with the chance of two to three inches and locally higher amounts falling throughout the day.

Blowing Rock and Deep Gap had a little less rain than Boone with between four and five inches total for the month. In Avery County, Beech Mountain recorded 5.59 inches of rain total and Sugar Mountain had 6.48 inches of rainfall. In Ashe County, Jefferson has had 5.68 inches of rain and Phillips Gap near the Blue Ridge Parkway has had 5.42 inches of rainfall.

Looking at the monthly averages for Boone, the town typically receives 5.06 inches of rain since 1929. The wettest month of August was in 1940 with 21.4 inches of rain, which coincides with the great 1940 Flood that washed out almost every bridge in the High Country and left death and destruction in its path. The driest August came in 1981 when less than one inch of rain fell (.76).