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NC Extremes: Storm of the Century Smashed Snowfall Records

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Sep 10, 2018

Helene a Reminder of an NC Weather What-If

While all eyes in North Carolina remain on Hurricane Florence and its potential impacts on the state later this week, another recently formed hurricane in the Atlantic — Helene — already has a historical connection to our state and one of its closest calls with tropical catastrophe. Sixty years ago this month, Hurricane Helene churned…

Aug 27, 2018

Often Ignored in a Stormy Era, Bonnie Still Packed a Punch

The late 1990s in North Carolina became synonymous with names like Bertha, Fran, and Floyd. But another, perhaps less well-remembered hurricane hit the state in the same turbulent four-year period, and in more ways than one, Hurricane Bonnie bridged the gap between North Carolina’s landfalling storms of the era. Summers of Sea Change After back-to-back…

Apr 1, 2018

Winter Roars Back in a Lion-Like March

This month’s climate summary highlights our turbulent March that included some springtime snow, cool and windy weather, and a new sensor to help track heat stress on the human body. Spring Starts with Snow, Variable Rainfall In March, some parts of North Carolina received drought-relieving rain and snow while others saw more limited precipitation. Overall,…

Sep 13, 2017

Rapid Reaction: Irma Brings Wet, Windy Weather to Western NC

Last week, Hurricane Irma crossed the central Atlantic at Category-5 strength with maximum sustained winds of 184 mph — surpassed by only one known storm in this part of the world, Hurricane Allen in 1980. If that wasn’t enough to capture your attention, model forecasts briefly showed the coast of North Carolina right in Irma’s…

Sep 6, 2016

Then and Now, Fran a Standard-Bearer for Hurricane Destruction

When you think of the ingredients for a damaging hurricane in North Carolina, a few things are likely to make the list: major hurricane-strength with high winds, a big storm surge along the coast, and an impact on a large number of people across the state. Twenty years ago in September 1996, Hurricane Fran ticked…

Jul 12, 2016

Hurricane Bertha Kick-Started a Stormy Stretch in NC

The summer of 1996 was a wake-up call of sorts for North Carolina’s coastline. Prior to that, it had been ten years since the last hurricane landfall — Charley in 1986. Besides a near miss from Hugo in 1989, which made landfall in South Carolina and caused damage across the Piedmont, North Carolina’s coast had…

Oct 13, 2015

NC Extremes: Damaging Hurricanes From Slopes to Shores

This post is part of our year-long series about North Carolina’s weather extremes. In September, our NC Extremes post highlighted the strongest hurricanes to affect North Carolina based on the pressure, wind speeds, and storm surge statistics. But when it comes to storm damage, strength isn’t always in the numbers. All corners of our state…

Sep 16, 2015

NC Extremes: Strong Hurricanes Are No Strangers to NC’s Coast

This post is part of our year-long series about North Carolina’s weather extremes. Hurricanes are among the most extreme weather events North Carolina routinely receives. The combination of wind, rain, storm surge, and other hazards packs a major punch, particularly in the strongest storms. There are several ways to determine the strength of a hurricane.…

Mar 12, 2015

NC Extremes: Storm of the Century Smashed Snowfall Records

This post is part of our year-long series about North Carolina’s weather extremes. An old adage says that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. But what about the middle of the month? It’s often in between our big winter weather events and our springtime severe weather events. However, in…