Coastal Flood — Inland New Hanover, North Carolina

2015-10-02 · Inland New Hanover, North Carolina

Event narrative

Flooding with barricades up at the intersection of Water St and Market St. This was a combination of heavy rain in conjunction with a high tide.

Wider weather episode

A deep amplitude east coast upper trough closed off across the southeast states for several days while a surface front meandered across the area. Deep moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean continued to feed into the area. Tropical moisture from the periphery of Hurricane Joaquin, well off the coast, helped to boost precipitable water values to near record levels. Rainfall amounts averaged 5 to 15 inches across the area during the event. Isolated spots received near 20 inches. This produced rare flash flooding. Coastal flooding was significant during the time of high tide. Widespread river flooding followed. There were more than a hundred evacuations due to flooding, but no reports of death or injury. There was significant damage to structures to include homes and businesses and infrastructure such as roads as well as personal property. There were reports of overtopped levees and earthen dams. Monetary losses were estimated to be several hundred thousand dollars.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 604274. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.