Floodwaters surged into homes, stranded vehicles, and prompted numerous water rescues across coastal North Carolina on Monday, as a tropical storm-like system unleashed unprecedented amounts of rain in just a few hours.
“It’s probably the worst flooding that any of us have seen in Carolina Beach,” Town Manager Bruce Oakley said. “We’ve had to rescue people from cars, also some from houses and businesses.”
Emergency services fielded numerous rescue calls, Oakley added.
Carolina Beach Under State of Emergency
Carolina Beach was declared a state of emergency after receiving a staggering 18 inches of rain in just 12 hours at one station, a once-in-1,000-year rainfall event, according to the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina. Elsewhere in the region, over a foot of rain in 12 hours was reported, marking a once-in-200-year event.
The Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office released an image of the flooding outside the county courthouse on September 16.
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School Closures and Transportation Disruptions
The Carolina Beach Elementary School had to close and dismiss students early after classrooms began flooding. Police and fire crews assisted in the dismissal process as some routes to the school remained open while others were blocked by floodwaters, with roads submerged under 3 feet of water.
Intensified Flooding in Brunswick County
Flooding also intensified in neighboring Brunswick County, where rainfall rates exceeded 4 to 5 inches per hour at times. Sunny Point, North Carolina, received over 9 inches of rain in just three hours, equating to more than a month’s worth of precipitation.
“Our deputies are assisting multiple people who are stranded in their vehicles and some homes at this time,” the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.
The Rising Threat of Unnamed Storms
The extreme rainfall serves as a stark reminder that severe weather conditions can occur even without a named storm. The atmosphere, primed for torrential rainfall, is becoming more prone to such events due to global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions.
Floodwaters Begin to Recede
Floodwaters in Carolina Beach began to recede early Monday afternoon as the heavy rain shifted westward. However, cars abandoned during the peak of the flooding remained on empty roadways, according to media reports.
Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight
The system responsible for the deluge was about 50 miles east of Charleston, South Carolina, with tropical storm-force winds of 40 mph as of Monday morning. Tropical storm warnings are in effect in the coastal Carolinas.
The system, currently labeled Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight due to its lack of organization, is expected to make landfall Monday evening between Charleston and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Despite this, southern North Carolina will likely continue to experience significant impacts.
Ongoing Risks and Forecast
Flooding rain remains the primary threat from the system, with areas near the North Carolina-South Carolina border, including Wilmington, under a level 3 of 4 risk for flooding rainfall, according to the Weather Prediction Center. A broader level 2 of 4 risk area covers most of North Carolina and northern South Carolina. Flash flooding is likely, especially in regions experiencing multiple rounds of heavy rain.
Widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches are expected through Monday night, with some areas in extreme southern North Carolina seeing totals in the double digits. Additionally, a few tornadoes could occur in eastern North Carolina, and storm surge of up to 3 feet is possible from the northern South Carolina coast into southern North Carolina’s Outer Banks.
The system’s winds are anticipated to weaken as it moves inland over South Carolina late Monday and Monday night. Rain will continue across parts of the Carolinas and extend into more of the mid-Atlantic on Tuesday, but the system is expected to dissipate by midweek.
The Carolinas had already been hit by 6 to 12 inches of rainfall from Debby in early August, which led to a flash flood emergency near Charleston, South Carolina.
If this system is named on Monday, it will be the first named storm to make landfall in South Carolina since Hurricane Ian in 2022 and the fourth named storm to make landfall in the U.S. this hurricane season.
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