LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Almost Ten Inches

Perhaps the most frequently asked question in Transylvania County the past few days has been, "How much rain did we get?"  I can speak only for our house...we got almost ten inches in a thirty-six-hour period.  That's a lot of rain.

Rain is quite unpredictable in the mountains.  Other areas of our community received six inches of rain.  The county had widespread flooding with several roads closed due to high water.  The French Broad Basin flooded fields and roads and isn't expected to crest until this evening.

The rain stopped during the night last night and today is sunny although quite chilly for our area.  On a clear day after a heavy rain, we always go visit waterfalls.  Because of the flooding and treacherous trails, we did not do any hiking.  Fortunately Looking Glass Falls is right off a highway overlook with no muddy trails to contend with.



There was lots of water, but we have actually seen the falls with greater volume.



The water crashes into the basin below.



A beautiful sight indeed.
All three photographs were taken by my husband.

The rain eliminated the deficit for the year and we are very happy the trees will get a good drink before winter.  But it was a lot of rain in a very short period of time.  Always complaining, aren't we?  We get rain and then complain because it wasn't spaced out to our satisfaction.

I've mentioned before that our dogs do not like the rain.  I will add that we do not like having to dry off two wet Golden Retrievers everytime they come inside.

28 comments:

The Bug said...

Wow - that's a lot of rain! We're currently getting snow - but it's not laying anywhere thank goodness!

Elora said...

WOW!!!!!! We got just 2.5 inches and snow this a.m. Only a dusting, though, but still on the "nippy" side. Glad we didn't get that much precip!

Elora

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, Beautiful falls; what an incredible sight to see so close to your home. Glad you weren't flooded out. I agree that the trees and earth need the rain but hopefully you won't be inundated by it.
Have a warm day.

Courtney at SL's No Ennui said...

That's a lotta rain! Makes me wonder how much we got...

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

I read your blog from time to time and had to say --WOW. I just moved to SC and am in the Upstate. We only got a couple inches. Ten inches is an incredible amount of rain. We also have really chilly weather today and are looking forward to a hard freeze tonight.

SouthernSass said...

That is a lot of rain. The falls are very pretty - I can "hear" the water crashing down below.

troutbirder said...

Yikes too much at once. My big boy not only get wet but likes to tromp in the mud. Then is he sneaks in we both catch heck.

Ruth said...

We got an inch of rain in 12 hours and I thought that was heavy. I couldn't imagine 10x that amount. The falls are beautiful.

Dawn Fine said...

Oh My..Glad you aren't floating away ..The falls look beautiful..seems as though I have seen those falls before..must have been previous post by you...Lovely

Karin said...

Such beautiful falls! Maybe the clouds disobeyed and dumped the rain all in your area instead of spreading it around over a greater area, lol!

Vicki Lane said...

My goodness! We had around 2 inches and a dusting of morning snow -- you all must have gotten the biggest hit.

Beautiful pics of the falls!

Unknown said...

Beautiful Photos of the falls. I know all too well the joys of drying off wet dogs every time they go out and come back in. We are fortunate though that ours is just a wee little Dachshund / Terrier mix. That is a lot of rain.

Taradharma said...

I'm picturing a big tube the girls have to walk through to get into the house. The tube has giant drying fans and heat lamps, and the girls come out clean as a whistle. If only....

Rudee said...

You should thank your lucky stars that it wasn't snow. You'd have been buried under 100 inches.

That's a lot of rain, and the falls are very pretty. Nice photos!

KGMom said...

A mixed blessing--yes, rain is always needed. And the waterfall looks lovely.
But, I'm with you--I dread walking the dog in the rain, then drying her somewhat long fur. Plus she always smells like...wet dog.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

The first thing I think of also after alot of rain is seeing the waterfalls.. Glad you at least saw Looking Glass.

We had quite a bit of rain also---but not nearly as much as you did... We had snow flurries all night last night and this morning, but no accumulation.

Tonight it is DARN COLD...
Hugs,
Betsy

KB said...

Imagine if that rain had been snow! It would've been heaps and heaps!

For your sake, I'm glad that it stopped but I'm glad that the trees got a drink!

Beautiful waterfall.

Jayne said...

Our little rain gauge registered around 4.5-5" in 48 hours here, though we still have a 9" deficit for the year. It was a really dry summer for sure.

Cheryl said...

That is a lot of rain. As you say much needed in your area. We are never truly satisfied when it comes to the weather, are we!

The images are beautiful....

We have heavy snowfalls at the moment...most unusual for our part of the world, especially at this time of year.

Anonymous said...

Ten inches is a lot of rain. We had seven inches in 24 hours in October. I remember it well. Ten must seem like an unending deluge.

Janet said...

WOW! That's a lot of rain! We got hammered here in Winston-Salem too but nothing like the rain you got! I'm so glad you're okay! We had some trees come down near our home, which caused an all-day power outage for our neighborhood. Fortunately, we have a generator so I could still get ready for work and our food didn't spoil. That's the first thing we learned after the great ice storm of 2003 (which brought down a tree into our solarium!) is that you cannot live in North Carolina without a generator or a chain saw!

By the way... Thank you for your kind comment on my blog. I pray for your husband's recovery and think it's so nice that you put up the tree that has delighted him so!

All the best always,

Janet

Folkways Note Book said...

So many states have had lots of cold rain and the west getting many inches of snow. Even though I don't count it being officially winter until the solstice -- I'd say it sure seems like winter. -- barbara

Kerri Farley said...

WOW - That is a LOT of rain! We got a little over 2 inches.... nothing compared to what you got!

Sam Hoffer / My Carolina Kitchen said...

Drying off golden retrievers would be a task for sure. Ten inches is an awfully lot of rain. At least it wasn't snow (smile).

I never get tired of looking at waterfalls.
Sam

Busy Bee Suz said...

I would suggest blow dryers for the pups, but they would most likely hate it.
Love the waterfall shots. Beautiful!

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone. It was indeed an amazing amount of rain. Some areas only a few miles away had only a few inches.

Janet - We're practically neighbors. We live within a few miles of the SC State Line.

Troutbirder - No doubt you and Baron make the most of rainy days.

TaraDharma - I'm already starting on the plans. Wouldn't that be great?

Cheryl - We've seen videos of your monstrous storm and bitter cold. Hope things improve for you soon.

George said...

You got a lot more rain than we did. I enjoyed your pictures of Looking Glass Falls -- I don't think we have ever been there with that much water going over it.

Cicero Sings said...

What a lot of rain!

Ah yes, wet dogs and muddy paws! Lately I have snowballs to melt off and then a wet dog to rub down. Currently at the coast though and miracle of miracles, enjoying a couple of dry days.