“The tropical system isn’t even here yet, so you understand there are a lot of concerns here,” said Christopher Godfrey, professor and chairman of the department of atmospheric sciences at the University of North Carolina Asheville.

Godfrey said the rain was brought by a rare precursor Wednesday night, as a front lingered over the region and moisture was pushed north by the tropical storm.

“If we didn’t have the tropical system, we would still have a rainy day,” Godfrey said. “But as the tropical system develops, it also strengthens the southerly flow that brings in this moisture.”

According to the Asheville Museum of History, 25 people died in 1916 after floods devastated western North Carolina, sweeping away entire buildings after the remnants of tropical storms brought extreme rain. Friends and relatives watched as loved ones were swept downstream. The local power plant was destroyed and the railroad was severely damaged, cutting off Asheville from the rest of the world.

Buncombe County officials warned that flooding in the coming days could equal or exceed the events of 1916.