Wednesday, September 18

An unnamed storm brought over a foot of rain to some parts of North Carolina recently, inundating towns and roads and even sparking tornado warnings.

The storm formed over the weekend and was expected to become Tropical Storm Helene before it made landfall, but it ended up being too close to shore-- the system did not have enough time in the warm waters off the United States' eastern coast to intensify into a named storm. However, the storm, designated Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight, still made a huge impact in North Carolina.

Much of the eastern part of the state is relatively low-lying, making it more susceptible to flooding-- especially North Carolina's famed Outer Banks barrier islands. In fact, waves of over 11 feet were recorded by buoys off the coast of Hatteras Island, located on the southern portion of Outer Banks. Heavy rain had been pouring across the region for days, covering roadways in water. Officials strongly advised residents to avoid driving and stay indoors, as driving through floodwaters can cause permanent damage to cars. In some areas, entire roads were swept away, and roads were shut down in the counties of Sampson, Duplin, Brunswick, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender.

Firefighters and rescue crews responded to numerous calls for help from people stranded in vehicles, and local schools were closed down for the day after water started to flood the building.

Flood watches and warnings were put into place across North Carolina and Virginia, and tornado warnings were also issued for parts of eastern North Carolina. However, no significant tornadoes were reported.

According to the National Weather Service, one station at Carolina Beach recorded over 18 inches of rain in 12 hours, later reaching a total of 21 inches, which is deemed a once-in-1,000-year rainfall event. Meanwhile, other nearby areas received over a foot, making it a once-in-200-year-rainfall event. Also, while some towns did not end up with massive totals, they received large amounts of rain in short periods of time. In Brunswick County, precipitation fell at 4-5 inches per hour during parts of Monday, dousing the town of Southport in over 19 inches of rain, and the town of Sunny Point received 9 inches in just three hours-- equivalent to the town's average rainfall in an entire month. Sunny Point also received strong winds, with sustained winds at over 35 mph and gusts hitting 77 mph at one point.

Thankfully, the system has weakened and the rain has moved north, leaving residents and the government with a lot of work to do to fix up the region. It will now deliver rain up the East Coast into states like Virginia and Maryland, but it should pose less of a threat now that the system has already released most of its precipitation. Central Virginia will take the worst of the hit-- the region can expect widespread totals of 1-2 inches with local totals of upwards of 3 inches and up to 5 inches in some areas.

Unfortunately, these extreme rainfall events will only become more common as the impact of climate change worsens, changing weather patterns all over the world and warming oceans to create stronger storms.

Fact of the Day (Reader's Digest): Have you ever seen a Coca-Cola bottle with a yellow cap instead of a red one? Coke bottles with yellow caps signify that they are considered kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover, which has specific dietary restrictions.

Quote of the Day (Gracious Quotes): Everything you want to be, you already are. You’re simply on the path to discovering it. (Alicia Keys)

Word of the Day (Merriam-Webster): Dally (verb)- The word dally has a number of meanings. To dally can be to physically linger or dawdle, or to waste time. Dally may also mean "to act playfully," especially in a romantic sense, or "to deal with something lightly or in a way that is not serious."

In a Sentence: Three members of the hiking group were dallying and didn't arrive at the overlook until others were already starting to head back to the trailhead.