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Was Hazel North Carolina’s Worst-Case Hurricane?

hurricanes

Nov 2, 2020

October Spooked by Zeta’s Dying Breaths and Frightful Foggy Mornings

The past month included wet, windy weather along with warm temperatures and higher dew points that helped fog bedevil our October dawns. Dark and Stormy Nights (and Days) Multiple rainfall events including the remnants of two hurricanes drenched western North Carolina as part of an overall wet month. The National Centers for Environmental Information reports a preliminary statewide average precipitation…

Oct 6, 2020

A Seasonable September Included a Soaking from Sally

Cooler weather filtered in last month as fall officially began, while wet conditions continued across much of North Carolina. Those ingredients mean our leaf colors could be unlike we’ve seen in several years — and in a good way! Summer Splits as Autumn Arrives The heat and humidity that wouldn’t budge in July and August finally faded in September, leaving us with near-normal temperatures…

Sep 14, 2020

Florence Revisited: Our Wettest Hurricane, Two Years Later

On this day in 2018, Hurricane Florence made landfall in North Carolina, and the worst was yet to come as the storm began its crawl across the state. After five days of rainfall, we were left with record flooding and more questions than answers about what the weeks, months, and years ahead would look like.…

Sep 3, 2020

Tropical Air and Tropical Storms Make for a Warm, Wet August

August in North Carolina began and ended with rain from tropical systems, and there was plenty of rain in between as well. Temperatures remained warmer as we closed out a warm, wet summer that was noteworthy for a few reasons. Widespread Wet Weather North Carolina took a soaking throughout August, accumulating a statewide average precipitation of 7.84 inches, according to…

Aug 4, 2020

Rapid Reaction: Isaias Moved Fast but Hit Hard in Eastern NC

It was a stealthy storm arriving overnight, but there was no mistaking the damage from Hurricane Isaias. Before it ever made it here, it had already broken a record as the ninth named storm to form in the Atlantic before the end of July. Once it reached North Carolina, Isaias came onshore late on August…

Jun 8, 2020

Early-Season Tropical Storms Contribute to a Cool, Wet May

The early onset of hurricane season included two storms visiting North Carolina in May. They helped make it a wet month, as well as a cool one across the state. The Tropics Storm to Life The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season didn’t officially begin until last Monday, June 1, but the ocean and tropical atmosphere have…

Dec 9, 2019

A Decade in Review: The 2010s

Over the next two weeks, we’ll close out this year and decade with a look back at how the 2010s played out weather-wise in North Carolina. From statewide snowstorms to memorable hurricanes to drought progression and its impacts, we will highlight the big events and weather storylines that wove through our year-to-year weather and climate.…

Dec 3, 2019

November Sees Cooler Weather and Drought Recovery

The beginning of November brought a change to a cooler weather pattern and regular rainfall that helped drought conditions dissipate. We also wrapped up the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, notable for Hurricane Dorian that hit North Carolina. Falling Temperatures, Fall-Like Weather After several months of warm weather this fall, November reversed course and left us…

Oct 15, 2019

Was Hazel North Carolina’s Worst-Case Hurricane?

This is the final post in our “Stormy Summer” series looking back at some memorable hurricane anniversaries occurring in 2019. No discussion about North Carolina’s significant historical hurricanes is complete without including Hazel, which hit the state 65 years ago today. In terms of intensity, Hazel is in a league of its own. Despite our…