View Full Version : Hurricane Frances Remnants
How severe is Tropical Depression Frances likely to be on the A.T. in western VA? I know that Opal and Isabel were still capable of a lot of damage by the time they reached the Trail. Would you stay on the Trail while Frances passes over? Just heavy rain is OK, but high winds and lightning are a different matter.
I'm wondering the same thing about the trail in western N.C. My husband and I had planned to hike Clingman's Dome to Stecoha Gap beginning on Sep 13th.
Well, finding water is not likely to be a problem. My wife and I just did three days in Shenandoah National Park on the AT. Things are pretty wet there right now and Frances isn't really due to start moving in until Tuesday (9/7) night or later. Currently predicting rain throuigh Thursday (9/9) noon. It rained pretty hard last Sunday night and through most of the day Monday. Winds are supposed to pick up into the 20 mph range. With the typical high humidity for Virginia this time of year it's going to take forever to get anything dried out if your gear gets wet.
orangebug
09-07-2004, 15:11
It's worth considering a weather alert radio. Frances is a lot different from Opal, with more rain and far less wind damage. I'd be concerned about flash floods in ravines and storms along ridgelines when you know a hurricane is on the way.
I've just gotten back from Western NC, between Allen Gap and Sam's Gap. I heard lots of warnings of storms and rain beginning Saturday. Saturday morning, these were happening Monday, at least according to the weather service radio. This told me it was a slow moving storm and to watch for clouds each AM. I got wet, but from sweat and no rain.
I'm glad I didn't back out because of fallable predictions.
Brushy Sage
09-07-2004, 17:26
At 5:25 p.m. Tuesday, we are getting lots of rain in Asheville, and occasional gusts of wind that make the rooftop crack, though not enough for structural damage. The forecast is for most of the streams in the area to reach flood stage by tomorrow (Wed) noon. Higher wind velocities are forecast for elevations above 4,000 ft. So it will not only be windy along the TN/NC border, but there is danger from falling trees as well, with the ground being so wet. The storm will lose its intensity as it goes north, but I suspect that conditions will make for uncomfortable hiking on the AT in southwestern Virginia.
steve hiker
09-07-2004, 17:45
Looks like this weekend will be a good time for a hike. There will be plenty of water and the weather forecast for after Frances passes through says it'll be nice and clear and cool. Jumble Jowls might be on the ridges in a few days. :)
Nightwalker
09-07-2004, 19:45
I'm glad I didn't back out because of fallable predictions.
I've got a picture, and I've got a forecast.
Picture, a messy one:
http://www.weather.com/maps/news/forecastsummary/satelliteradar_large.html
It caused a rain-out on the Braves/Phillies game. Big WAH! Otherwise, rain is cool...
Forecast, a nice one:
http://www.weather.com/weather/svrtenday/USSC0095
Heavy rain today and tomorrow, then 8 days of nice.
I have already purchased a couple of grains of salt to go with the forecast...
sourwood
09-07-2004, 19:50
It's raining cats and dogs here in Black Mountain, NC and has been for about 24 hours. The winds have not been too bad. It seems the rainfall varies from place to place ( 6+ inches here vs. 2-3 in Asheville 15 miles away). Winds here have not been anywhere near what we experienced with Opal. We spent days after that one clearing trails. The rain is supposed to clear out Thursday and the weather should be good this weekend. Streams may be high. I'm planning on a weekend trip to the Smokies to start the celebration of my 50th. We were just talking about how thankful we are to be cozy inside our house rather than on the trail through this lengthy deluge!
Julie
Sounds like plenty of blowdowns next couple of weeks. And plenty of firewood for the winter.
Mr. Clean
09-08-2004, 07:24
Frances is supposed to head over us tomorrow, Thursday, with an inch of rain on the coast and 3-4 inches in the mtns. No real wind expected.
orangebug
09-08-2004, 08:19
I hope so. The center of circulation is near the GA/TN border, with NC getting a drenching. For all of the problems predicted for Atlanta, this wasn't nearly so bad. It sounds like the worst of the wind and rain was further east of I-85 until Toccoa.
sherrill
09-08-2004, 09:44
Hey Brushy Sage,
From local news reports (I live near Raleigh) it looked like the Swannanoa River was really high. I used to go to camp at Ridgecrest. Any news?
orangebug
09-08-2004, 10:24
You can check at WWW.Weather.GOV for RIVERS, and get information about flood stages at rivers in our area. Today, it shows flood stages along the French Broad, full stream along the Nolichucky but no major problems for us otherwise. It doesn't show the flash flooding that can occur along small streams, creeks and rivers in ravines and valleys.
Bill...
eyahiker
09-08-2004, 12:26
No power here, fourth day. Able to get on here with a generator for a few minutes.
Gotta run, don't want the computer to crash.
sourwood
09-08-2004, 12:43
The Swannanoa River has flooded. People living in low lying areas near this river and its creeks have been evacuated. Biltmore Village in Asheville is underwater. One woman was rescued from the middle of the Swannanoa River last night near Black Mountain when her car went into the river. There was a mud slide last night on I-40 near Ridgecrest. One lane is now open in each direction, but things are moving slowly. Many people are without power and water. We had over 15" of rain here in the Black Mountain area. There are some trees down and roads washed out. The rain is still falling, though not hard. It's rather a mess, but we are in better shape than many.
Julie
Texas Dreamer
09-08-2004, 12:50
anybody heard from Hammock Hanger, or any of the other Floridians? Everybody OK?
Brushy Sage
09-09-2004, 19:53
My power came back this afternoon (Thursday), after an outage of some 35 hours. The rivers in this area have now crested, and the Swannanoa is back within its banks. The merchants in Biltmore Village have been scooping up mud, hauling off wrecked cars, etc. Wendy's sports a sign that says "Will Reopen Soon;" their building was about 3/4 under water. We have a "boil water" alert in the region. Going up toward Balsam Gap on Friday morn with a Carolina Mtn Club crew, to see if we can do some tread work on the Mountains to Sea trail.
sherrill
09-10-2004, 10:13
Glad to hear you guys are ok. Here's hoping Ivan doesn't hit us as well.
MDSHiker
09-13-2004, 11:34
Just got back from hiking Hampton, TN to Damascus, VA. There is a LOT of blowdown on the trail from Frances. Many of the acorns and hickory nuts have fallen off the trees prematurely, as well as green leaves and limbs. On that section of trail they did not get as much rain as other areas to the south...many of the springs were dry.