Weather

A LOOK BACK: Comparing Oroville Dam flooding to historic 1916 Catawba Flood

CHARLOTTE, N.C — Over 100,000 people have been evacuated in Northern California after concerns about the Lake Oroville Dam.

The tallest dam in the nation remains strong but erosion to emergency spillways is threatening to release massive amounts of water to neighborhoods downstream.

Erosion in the dam's main spillway forced the state to open the emergency outlet. It threatens to undermine the concrete and allow large, uncontrolled releases of water from the lake. That could overwhelm downstream channels and levees.

Hundreds of cars in wall-to-wall traffic were traveling on Highway 99 as people streamed out of the city away from the dam.

The pictures coming in from California are stunning, and while they may be coming in 2,600 miles away from Charlotte, this kind of event could happen here. It did back in 1916.

In mid-July 1916, the Western Carolinas dealt with more than a dozen inches of rain in just a few days. Grandfather Mountain had over 22 inches of rain in 24 hours.

That prompted local dams around the Catawba and other local rivers to break, causing major flooding in the area. The water rose to 45 feet in Mt. Holly. The devastation spread all the way into Fort Mill and Lake Wylie. Close to 100 people were killed.

To help keep that from happening again, a system of monitors is in place across the dams in the Charlotte area. They are regulated constantly by Duke Energy and the State.

Weather Resources: