Hurricane Florence pushes 100+ MPH gusts ashore – “Life-threatening, catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding are likely”
13 September 2018 (The Weather Channel) – Hurricane Florence is spreading heavy rain and strong winds into the Carolinas, with landfall possible either overnight tonight or on Friday, kicking off an agonizing crawl through the Southeast into early next week, producing catastrophic inland rainfall flooding, life-threatening storm surge and destructive winds.
Happening Now
As of 10 p.m., Florence’s eye was located about 70 miles east-southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, crawling northwestward at just 5 mph.
Wind gusts have reached as high as 106 mph at Cape Lookout, North Carolina while a 105 mph gust was also reported at Fort Macon, North Carolina recently.
The highest sustained wind so far was reported in Cape Lookout with a sustained wind of 83 mph.
Ten feet of storm surge is flooding Cherry Point in western Pamlico Sound. A gauge at Oriental, North Carolina, on the Neuse River recorded a water height of about six feet above normal tide levels.
Extreme rainfall is already occurring in eastern North Carolina. Atlantic Beach, which is a barrier island just south of Morehead City, has measured 12.73 inches of rainfall through mid-evening. […]
Water levels continue to rise quickly on the western side of Pamlico Sound in North Carolina, including a six foot storm surge in New Bern.
Significant storm-surge flooding had already inundated New Bern, North Carolina, as of this evening. A storm surge of around 6 feet was reported there by a storm chaser. […]
Storm-Surge Impact: A destructive storm surge will accompany the eye coming ashore sometime from tonight into Friday, and coastal flooding may persist through multiple high-tide cycles into this weekend east of the center of Florence. All evacuation orders from local officials should be followed because of this dangerous threat. Significant beach erosion is also likely on the southeastern U.S. coast. Elevated water levels may persist for some time after landfall in areas where onshore winds persist. […]
These water levels will be on top of already high tides caused by the new moon. […]
High-Impact Rainfall: Florence will produce high-end flash flooding between Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Morehead City, North Carolina.
The National Hurricane Center noted that “life-threatening, catastrophic flash flooding and prolonged significant river flooding are likely over portions of the Carolinas and the southern and central Appalachians late this week into early next week.”
That heavy rain threat may last for days into early next week in some areas, given Florence’s slow movement. [more]
