Evan Fisher
@EFisherWX
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Meteorologist & Geospatial Analyst | @UncAvl @NCSUgeospatial alum | Owner/Founder of @ExploreFall 🍂
Joined August 2016
I've always used this account to tell WNC's story through the lens of weather and maps. A comprehensive Helene analysis will take years to complete, and I'm anxious to get started. I'll be releasing a new website in the days ahead to share all of my work and document our recovery
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🧵 The wind damage northeast of Asheville is unfathomable. With all of the trails closed, I journeyed up to a quiet overlook that I knew would be open. I've seen footage of this area since the storm, but I wasn't prepared for how bad it truly is.
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I can't overstate how serious the storm surge threat is in southwest Florida. #Ian will drive deadly surge into Cape Coral and Fort Myers, placing much of the area under water. If you live near the ocean in a surge zone, this is your last chance to leave.
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The Town of Black Mountain is asking folks to hold off on donations for a few weeks. We are overwhelmed with supplies. Some churches are even having to turn supplies away. It’s a logistics nightmare. We’ll need help for MONTHS. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.
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Power is RESTORED at my location in Black Mountain!. It’s been out since 6a on Friday, September 27th. Still no water, but at this point, that’s a minor inconvenience. While this is a big win for us, remember that it will be WEEKS before power is restored for others in WNC.
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However bad you think it is, it’s worse. I’ve only made it from Black Mtn to Fairview, but the damage here is unbelievable. WNC needs all the help we can get.
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Info from Black Mtn town meeting:. Expecting power restoration in the coming weeks, no definite timeline. Significant damage in City of Asheville water resources coming out of North Fork. Sewage system on French Broad completely destroyed. Hwy 9 gone in many places
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Increasingly bright outside of Asheville!! Looking due west 🤯
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POWER. Just now above Ingles on Hwy 9 in Black Mountain! Note, this is the main road through town, side roads still have nothing. Gas pumps are working, but it’s a trickle.
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The National Hurricane Center issues storm surge guidance displaying the 'worst case scenario' surge (i.e., surge that has a 1-in-10 chance of happening). While this clearly is not guaranteed, it is deeply concerning to see the potential inundation of Cedar Key.
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No photo could ever do last night justice. My heart is so full. 📍 Blue Ridge Parkway, NC
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The Swannanoa rose extremely fast over the past 15 minutes. It now covers Blue Ridge Rd in Black Mtn
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This used to be a quiet drive through a lush forest on Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. Now, it’s a somber drive through a hellish landscape, scarred for decades by Helene’s extreme winds.
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Forgive the bumpy video, but I thought this angle was worth sharing. The blowdown extends a few hundred yards on the other side of the ridge as well. Long term, I'd like to fly this entire area and record the wind pattern for further research.
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Overlaying building footprints reveals that this won't just be an inundation of the tidal zone. Thousands of buildings will be underwater in Cape Coral alone.
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If you’re looking to confirm the safety of your family and friends in Black Mtn, their name may be on this list.
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Check out the freak debris ball on the Andover, KS tornado, viewed here in 3D. It was completely isolated from the rest of the storm on radar #KSwx
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Updates from today’s Black Mtn town square meeting:. No looting or crime to report in Black Mountain. Beware scammers. Ask for FEMA ID, all official FEMA workers should be in a uniform or a vest. If you hear of or see a scammer, call 911. Non-emergency line is hard to reach
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Six months ago today, Helene forever changed WNC. At 7:49 AM, we received and promptly ignored evacuation orders. I checked over the fence, and the Swannanoa River was still well contained across the street from us.
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I am extremely encouraged by what I’ve seen around Black Mountain today. The resources that have come in over the past couple days are staggering. Power is on in the heart of town. Cell service is much improved. Mail was even being delivered in some places.
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WNC changed forever four weeks ago today. Little did we know at the time that 20+ people were perishing within a few miles of our house. It seemed bad around us, but I stumbled into Swannanoa the next morning completely unaware of the disaster that had unfolded there.
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For the second time this semester, sirens are sounding on campus at UNC Chapel Hill for an armed and dangerous person. How is this real life.
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Aerial imagery of Fort Myers Beach is now available and I'm out of words to describe the devastation. If you're still looking for updates on a home in the area, this imagery is a good place to start. Here, see what little remains of Gulfview Colony. 🔗
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🚨 Promises kept! That’s what you’re supposed to say, right?. Terminated “based on performance”… . That’s how some folks who gave everything during Helene are being treated. That’s disgusting, and it absolutely fills me with rage.
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𝗦𝗡𝗢𝗪 is now mixing with sleet and rain along the North Carolina/Tennessee line. Snow has only been recorded in September one other time, way back in 1967 #NCwx.
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Downtown Black Mtn has a lot of resources for people in need. Temporary cell tower by the fire department. Hot food and some water. Lots of people walking/biking to town.
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I'm no volcanologist, but the data nerd inside of me is fascinated by the earthquake data coming out of #Grindavik, #Iceland
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@stan_sdcollins Speaking for all the young couples who can’t comment on this post, we would give anything to get into a house like that. As for new developments of “economical houses”, well, this is what that looks like…
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Incredible substorm in the last fifteen minutes 💥. 📍 Black Mountain, NC
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In my 9 years in these mountains, today was by far the best October day I've experienced. What a blessing it is to live here.
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Hats off to @NWSSPC and the local NWS offices for an incredible forecast and prompt warnings during yesterday's tornado outbreak!
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Water and supposedly food being handed out at the Black Mtn Ingles momentarily. Car lines are extremely long, but if you come on foot, the line is short.
Downtown Black Mtn has a lot of resources for people in need. Temporary cell tower by the fire department. Hot food and some water. Lots of people walking/biking to town.
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The first snow is bittersweet in WNC this year. There are still many people without power and a warm place to sleep…. 📍 Carvers Gap @ 5500’
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It’s been a soul crushing day. Utter devastation between Black Mtn and Fairview, Swan in particular. Hearing that Chimney Rock is gone. Many people still cutting their way out of hollers or trapped by washed out roads. Water and food will be a very real issue in the coming days.
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Briefly have signal. Been without it since early yesterday. I don’t know what’s happened around WNC, but I can’t imagine it’s good. The damage in Black Mtn is sobering. So many people have water in their home. The mtn is snarled with downed trees, landslides, and washed out roads.
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If you are sharing info to help folks in WNC, please put it in the text of your Tweets. Service is still severely degraded, and we cannot load images/videos. Be descriptive about aid locations, using local streets and landmarks if possible.
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UNREAL. The official forecast has been updated for Biltmore Village, predicting an all-time record crest. This is expected to surpass the historic floods of 1916 and 2004 which devastated the area. Avoid Biltmore Village at all costs tonight and tomorrow.
The official forecast takes the Swannanoa River at Biltmore Village just shy of major flooding. Guidance from the National Water Model is much higher than that. So high, in fact, that I have a hard time believing it. Regardless, I fear the current official forecast is too low.
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20+ cities were impacted by last night's "Quad-State Tornado" with appalling damage reported from Arkansas to Kentucky. Here's a preliminary and incomplete list of those cities. Please link any relevant disaster relief orgs below #QuadStateTornado
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Ladies and gentlemen, may I present one of the greatest snow forecasts of all time. The Chugach Mountains in Alaska are being slammed with feet upon feet of snow, with a local maximum of 344" (28.7') over a 72-hour period #AKwx 1/3
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Chinese Spy Balloon sighting:. 🕘: 8:50 AM February 4, 2023.📍: Fairview, NC 28730.🧭: 195° moving ESE
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Popping up to say we’re still ok. Cell service has not improved outside of downtown Black Mountain, but there is good service and hot food at Black Mountain Presbyterian Church. Long lines for water at Ingles. Not sure how much longer we’ll be in WNC.
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Winds continue to wreak havoc on the outer ridgeline of Grandfather Mountain this morning. Peak gust so far is 102.1 mph #NCwx
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Cancel your plans, call out sick, and go to the mountains. Peak week is unfolding across the Southern Appalachians 🍂🍁
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As requested, here is a similar storm surge map for the Naples area. Make no mistake, water kills.
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The summit of Mt. Rainier is about to get pounded with up to five feet of snow, per @NWSSeattle forecast! That's more snow than Seattle has seen in the past decade #WAwx
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Want to know what Black Mountain was like during Helene?. The police department put together a mini doc that tells our story during the storm and in the weeks that followed. BMPD saved lives ⬇️
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On a positive note, this fall has turned into one of the most beautiful foliage seasons I’ve seen in the valleys around Asheville. The recent dry, cool nights + warm afternoons have drawn out more reds than normal!
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As requested, here is a similar storm surge map for the Port Charlotte/Punta Gorda area. Make no mistake, water kills.
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Nearly four weeks after Helene departed WNC, power has been restored to the Mount Mitchell weather station and webcams 🎉. 📷:
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This is @MarkHuneycutt4, and he’s doing WNC a massive service by telling our story and dispelling all of the awful rumors that are going around. Not only that, but he’s lending a hand everywhere he goes. He’s one of WNC’s finest.
Someone went down to Chimney Rock NC to dispel the ridiculous and harmful conspiracy theories going around. Take a look. Credit: .allisonbailey1991 on T;kTok
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Here is some high-resolution imagery near Elk Mountain Scenic Highway. This appears to be >80% tree loss.
The defoliation of southeast facing slopes around Asheville is jaw dropping. It's surreal to see these mountains completely devoid of leaves so early in the season. Winds gusted in excess of 90 mph during Helene's passage.
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Please, please don’t interpret this as WNC being ungrateful for your help. That’s not the case at all. We simply need time to organize distribution centers to support our community. Outside help is absolutely vital to WNC’s recovery in the months ahead.
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The defoliation of southeast facing slopes around Asheville is jaw dropping. It's surreal to see these mountains completely devoid of leaves so early in the season. Winds gusted in excess of 90 mph during Helene's passage.
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Near Asheville Christian Academy. Mobile homes wiped out. Unfathomable damage.
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All outside activities after sunset are hereby cancelled at the Fisher household, effectively immediately. This is the biggest bear I've ever seen in western NC.
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Mount Washington could rival their coldest wind chill *ever* tomorrow night. -100°F, just let that sink in. The record to beat is -102.7°F! You can follow along from home using this link:
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Peak fall foliage has arrived above 5000' in the Southern Appalachians 🍂
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Adding a little perspective to those Southeast snowstorm posts you're seeing on your timeline right now.
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The poleward displacement of the ITCZ this fall is evident in a year over year comparison of vegetation greenness over Africa.
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I will never understand why people trust accounts like this to share verifiable information on Helene recovery in WNC. If you think this is Chimney Rock, you definitely aren't a dependable source for all things WNC.
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Most of the tree damage in WNC occurred on east-facing slopes. The severe damage on Elk Mountain (shown here, more red = more damage) is one of the few examples of significant treefall on a northwest slope. Interactive map of region-wide tree damage coming online tomorrow!
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Report of a dam breach upstream of Black Mountain. Evacuation notices are out for locations along the Swannanoa River. This alert did not go out to all phones, so please text your loved ones in the area.
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You can interactively explore this storm surge data from @NHC_Atlantic by following the link below. 🔗:
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The scope of the damage in the Southern Appalachians is impossible to grasp without seeing it firsthand. I built this interactive map of damage reports to convey the gravity and magnitude of the situation on the ground. It's shocking, to say the least.
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Back of camera shot of the northern lights photographed outside of Asheville, NC moments ago!!!
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The best foliage season in years is unfolding in the Southern Appalachians 🍂
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It’s very faint, but the aurora is camera-visible in WNC right now. Continuing to monitor this in hopes it improves…
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Vibrant fall colors on the northern slopes of Beech Mountain, NC 🍂
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By my estimate, 33 landslides occurred along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina during #Helene. Most of these slides directly impacted the road. A few occurred less than 100m below the road, potentially jeopardizing the slope above.
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Two weeks after floods ravaged WNC, the sky lit up with aurora last night. This backyard aurora will forever hold a place in my heart ❤️
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The Greenfield, IA tornado left a path of scarred vegetation that's visible in the latest satellite imagery.
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Just 31% of the contiguous U.S. has avoided tornado warnings over the past two decades. Three states have experienced 100% tornado warning coverage: Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee #USTornadoes
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I'll be blunt: a lot of my audience is local to WNC and quite verbal in their distrust of Matt. If that's you, give this a read. He was quick to tell me his focus is on those who've been overlooked. I think that's fantastic. His voice in the hotel nightmare earlier this month.
@EFisherWX Hey all. @EFisherWX and I just got off a phone call today to talk through the post above. I personally found Evan be very understanding and kind. It speaks greatly to his character that he even picked up the phone. I do not believe he was intentionally trying to trash me or.
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Coming soon to a windy mountain near you: Fisher, party of two 💍🥂
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All of these mobile homes were carried away by the Swannanoa River. I drove by after the floodwaters receded, and it broke me. 📍 35.6024°N, 82.4074°W
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An on-the-ground look at the devastation around Elk Mountain, NC. .
@EFisherWX We live up near the top. It looks like a nuke went off. Scariest 2 hours of my life. It's never going to be the same up here.
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Happy first day of climatological summer! Here's a look back at all of the tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings across the CONUS in (climatological) Spring 2022.
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I don’t have many photos to share, but here’s a snippet of what I’ve seen over the past few days while walking around Black Mountain. It pales in comparison to the damage in other parts of East Asheville.
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As chance would have it, the #QuadStateTornado passed within 4 miles of a seismometer as it tore through the Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky. Are there any seismologists that could help decipher the seismograph as the tornado passed by? (1/2)
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Just another Thursday in Asheville, NC. It’s been six weeks since Helene, and most of us still don’t have potable water. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the crews working day and night to restore our water supply. They are all heroes!
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150 tornado warnings were issued between 12z 3/21 and 12z 3/23. Top notch forecasting and nowcasting from the NWS and SPC!
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Early this morning, a volcano erupted in violent fashion 7250 miles away in the South Pacific. Around 9 AM EST, the shockwave arrived in North Carolina, crossing the state from west to east at roughly 740 mph. Here's how the pressure wave traversed the state via @NCSCO stations
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If I give y'all a 3D supercell will you stop bickering about worthless #wtwitter drama? My word y'all. Let's 3D print these. 📍 Allendale, SC April 4, 2022
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