55
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$290K
Property damage
Flash Flood in Union County, North Carolina: 55 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #534 nationally and #23 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Union County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Union County is the 2000s, when 21 of the county's 55 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Union County archive, flash flood makes up 11.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #534 for this hazard and #23 within North Carolina, putting it in the 82.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for flash flood in Union County with 12 recorded events, while Oct is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2018 | OLIVE BRANCH | 0 | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 11, 2003 | WEST PORTION | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 27, 2024 | INDIAN TRAIL ARPT | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 8, 2024 | MINERAL SPG | 0 | $1K |
| Sep 10, 2023 | WESLEY CHAPEL | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 20, 2022 | INDIAN TRAIL ARPT | 0 | $500 |
| Nov 12, 2020 | MARVIN | 0 | $1K |
| Feb 6, 2020 | INDIAN TRAIL ARPT | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 16, 2018 | OLIVE BRANCH | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 23, 2017 | WINGATE | 0 | $5K |
| May 1, 2016 | WAXHAW | 0 | $1K |
| Dec 31, 2015 | FAIRVIEW | 0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Union County
- Thunderstorm Wind 255
- Hail 129
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
EM reported severe flash flooding developed across Union County after 7 to 13 inches of rain fell across the county in about 24 hours. Dozens of roads were closed at the height of the event during the afternoon of the 16th, some due to poor drainage flooding in urban areas, and others due to small stream flooding, including Goose Creek in the Indian Trail area, where a stream gauge exceeded its established flood stage. Multiple water rescues were necessary, and some homes were isolated by flood waters. A one-year-old boy drowned when his parent drove a vehicle around a barricade and into a swollen creek on Highway 218.
Slow-moving thunderstorms produced very heavy rainfall that resulted in rapid development of urban flooding. West of Monroe, a 17-year-old man drowned when he jumped into a flooded drainage ditch, and was swept into a storm drain. Urban flooding was more severe in the towns of Indian Trails, Unionville, and Stallings, where several people required rescue from automobiles trapped by rising water.
A number of creeks and small streams rose rapidly and overflowed their banks, including the Rocky River, Cane Creek, and Lynches Creek. Thirteen people required rescue after being caught in flood water. This included 6 people whose vehicles were swept into a creek along Sandy Ridge Rd. A house was flooded by Cane Creek.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Union County, North Carolina?
55 flash flood events are recorded in Union County between 1996 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Union County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Union County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Union County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Union County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/union-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.