State Rainfall Record Shattered
The change has been made to the TC state rainfall record .gif to include Florence. Note of caution: Gordon's impact on the Midwest has not been included yet. Numbers for Florence's maximum remain fluid and are preliminary. pic.twitter.com/J2NuwgqhMX
— NWS WPC (@NWSWPC) September 15, 2018
Tropical Storm (formerly Hurricane) Florence has battered North Carolina with damaging winds and flooding storm surge since Thursday. Heavy rainfall continues to be the major concern, however. River levels are incredibly high in some parts of the Tar Heel State, flooding many communities. It should come as no surprise, either. Rainfall totals have exceeded two feet in some cases.
Here's a look at the rainfall totals from Hurricane Florence, many areas over 20 inches in eastern NC. #NCwx #NCEmergency #Florence pic.twitter.com/7HvrC8aSjp
— NWS Newport/Morehead (@NWSMoreheadCity) September 15, 2018
In the days before the storm made landfall, Florence was forecast to bring potentially record-breaking rainfall.
#HurricaneFlorence is expected to bring heavy rainfall to states like the Carolinas. @WeatherNation's @WxJoeA explains how much rain it will take to break those states' records. #NCwx #SCwx pic.twitter.com/M43DXkl1XX
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 12, 2018
Florence delivered, unfortunately. By Saturday morning, several North Carolina communities witnessed rain totals that were greater than the state tropical rainfall record. Until Florence, the record for tropical rainfall was 24.06 inches. This occurred during Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
In neighboring South Carolina, rainfall totals were nearing ten inches by midday Saturday. The record for tropical rainfall in South Carolina is 18.51 inches. This occurred during Tropical Storm Jerry in 1995.
With the slow movement of Florence, final rainfall totals will likely be higher. Follow WeatherNation on social media (Facebook and Twitter) for the latest updates.