Georgia · Ringgold, Catoosa County · Alerts

Ringgold Flooding, Catoosa County GA: Caffeine Addicts on Nashville Street Flooded, Battlefield Parkway and Hwy 41 Businesses Damaged

Flash flooding swept through Ringgold in the early hours of Friday, damaging businesses near downtown and the South Chickamauga Creek, hitting Nashville Street, where the coffee shop Caffeine Addicts said it was told its shop had flooded, moving vehicles outside two auto body shops on Hwy 41 and reaching homes near Creekside Park. The National Weather Service put radar-estimated rainfall at 3.5 to 4 inches over north central Catoosa County by 1:02 a.m.

By Nathan Saunders Published Aug. 21, 2026, 9:30 a.m. ET 8 min read As of 9:30 a.m. ET · All flood alerts cancelled · developing

What flooded in downtown Ringgold?

High water damaged several businesses and homes near downtown Ringgold during the early hours of Friday, Aug. 21, 2026, after a night of heavy rain over Catoosa County. The damage ran near Battlefield Parkway and the South Chickamauga Creek, WTVC NewsChannel 9 reported.

Mayor Kelly Bomar said the city’s crews were on the scene of at least three affected businesses on Battlefield Parkway.

In the heart of downtown, the coffee shop Caffeine Addicts on Nashville Street posted on Facebook that it had been told the shop was completely flooded and that water was coming out of the front door.

Bomar said more of the damage was north on Hwy 41, near the auto body shops Rick Worley & Son and Greased Lightning, where, in his words, “fast-moving water displaced multiple dumpsters and damaged several vehicles.” Surging runoff moved vehicles near the two shops, WTVC reported.

The water did not stay on the commercial strips. Bomar said he observed high water in residential areas, including near Creekside Park.

A tree came through the ceiling of a bedroom at a Boynton Drive home while a couple slept there, WTVC reported, citing video from Ringgold resident Nathan Howell.

What did Ringgold’s mayor say happened?

Bomar was downtown around midnight monitoring conditions, he said.

At roughly 12:20 a.m., Bomar said, the downtown stormwater system was “handling the flow and staying within capacity as the heaviest rain began to ease,” though water was already over the road in several residential areas at that point.

It turned within the hour. By about 1:05 a.m., Bomar said, upstream runoff had kept collecting and “reports indicated that the volume of water reached capacity in the detention areas, leading to overflow downstream that affected several downtown businesses.”

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How did the night unfold, hour by hour?

The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City, which covers Catoosa County, issued alerts through the night. Bomar was downtown for part of it.

How much rain fell in Catoosa County?

The first alert came at 11:53 p.m. Thursday, when the National Weather Service alerted Catoosa and north central Whitfield counties to a severe thunderstorm until 12:30 a.m., with the storm sitting over Ringgold.

By 12:35 a.m. between 2 and 2.5 inches had fallen and a flash flood alert went out for Catoosa County, northeastern Dade County and north central Walker County until 4:30 a.m. Ringgold, Fort Oglethorpe, Rossville, Graysville, Boynton, Lakeview and Fairview were among the named locations.

Half an hour later the totals had climbed sharply. At 1:02 a.m. between 3.5 and 4 inches had fallen over north central Catoosa County — Ringgold, Indian Springs and Boynton — with an additional 1 to 2 inches possible.

A third alert at 2:19 a.m. covered southeastern Catoosa, southeastern Walker and central Whitfield counties until 6:15 a.m., naming Dalton, Varnell, Tunnel Hill and Rocky Face, with 1.5 to 2.5 inches fallen. All of those figures are radar-estimated rather than measured on the ground.

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When were the flood alerts cancelled?

The north central Catoosa alert was cancelled at 3:08 a.m.

At 4:27 a.m. the service said the heavy rainfall threat was over, and that 30 minutes to an hour of light rain could continue across parts of the county.

The remaining alert, covering Catoosa, Walker and Whitfield counties, was cancelled at 5:15 a.m., about four hours after the overflow downtown that Bomar described.

What did Bomar mean about the detention areas?

A detention area holds stormwater back and lets it out slowly, so the system downstream is not asked to carry everything at once. Bomar’s account describes that margin disappearing over about 45 minutes.

Has downtown Ringgold flooded like this before?

Yes, and on the same street. Downtown Ringgold flooded in July 2019, when a July 9 storm put water into several Nashville Street businesses, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. Ringgold shops and restaurants flooded on a Tuesday night that month, WDEF reported.

Nashville Street is the block where Caffeine Addicts described its shop as completely flooded on Friday.

Meeting on Aug. 12, 2019 with downtown building owners and merchants in the room, the city council approved $18,430 for two contracts with CTI Engineers of Chattanooga, brought in to examine how water drains around the historic downtown, the Times Free Press reported.

A hydrology report on the city storm water system followed, setting out the causes of that summer’s flooding, the Times Free Press reported in February 2020.

Bomar’s description of Friday morning turns on detention capacity — the same downtown drainage question the city hired consultants to examine after 2019.

Which office holds which record?

The City of Ringgold Public Works and Stormwater departments, at cityofringgoldga.gov, are the offices of record for the municipal drainage and detention system Bomar described.

Catoosa County Emergency Management compiles the county-wide damage reports, the record that would carry any building count for downtown, Hwy 41 and the residential streets.

The National Weather Service office in Peachtree City issues the alert products for Catoosa County and holds the radar rainfall estimates behind the 12:35 a.m., 1:02 a.m. and 2:19 a.m. figures.

What we don’t know yet

Frequently asked questions

What happened in Ringgold, Georgia, early Friday?
Flash flooding damaged businesses and homes near downtown Ringgold in the early hours of Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. Mayor Kelly Bomar said city crews were on the scene of at least three affected businesses on Battlefield Parkway, and fast-moving water moved vehicles north on Hwy 41 near two auto body shops.

Where did the flooding hit in Ringgold?
Near downtown, including Caffeine Addicts on Nashville Street and at least three businesses on Battlefield Parkway; near the South Chickamauga Creek; north on Hwy 41 near Rick Worley & Son and Greased Lightning; and in residential areas, including near Creekside Park and on Boynton Drive.

How much rain fell in Catoosa County?
Between 3.5 and 4 inches had fallen over north central Catoosa County by 1:02 a.m. Friday, with an additional 1 to 2 inches possible, the National Weather Service said. Those totals are radar-estimated rather than measured by a gauge.

What did Ringgold Mayor Kelly Bomar say about the flooding?
Bomar said he was downtown around midnight, and that at about 12:20 a.m. the downtown stormwater system was still within capacity. By about 1:05 a.m., Bomar said, upstream runoff had kept collecting and “reports indicated that the volume of water reached capacity in the detention areas, leading to overflow downstream that affected several downtown businesses.”

Are the flood alerts still in effect in Catoosa County?
No. The National Weather Service cancelled the north central Catoosa alert at 3:08 a.m. Friday and cancelled the remaining alert covering Catoosa, Walker and Whitfield counties at 5:15 a.m.

Has downtown Ringgold flooded like this before?
Yes. Downtown Ringgold flooded in July 2019, when a July 9 storm put water into several Nashville Street businesses, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reported. The city council approved two engineering contracts the following month to examine downtown drainage. Shops and restaurants flooded on a Tuesday night that July, WDEF reported.

Which offices hold the records on the Ringgold flooding?
The City of Ringgold Public Works and Stormwater departments hold records on the municipal system, Catoosa County Emergency Management handles county-wide damage reporting, and the National Weather Service office in Peachtree City issues the alert products and the rainfall estimates.