Tropical Storm — Bladen, North Carolina

2016-10-08 to 2016-10-14 · Bladen, North Carolina

Event narrative

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts in Bladen County were prodigious. Many areas had over a foot of rain, with 18.38 inches recorded northwest of Elizabethtown. Turnbull Creek measured a maximum wind of 39 mph. Tropical storm force winds and flooded ground

caused widespread tree and power line damage. Major river flooding occurred along the Cape Fear River at Lock 1 near Kelly. Two fatalities were reported when a vehicle was overtaken by flooding on Rosindale Rd near Clarkton. Evacuations were necessary in Elizabethtown. More evacuations as well as rescues were performed in White Oak and Tar Heel. Much of downtown Bladenboro was underwater resulting in numerous road closures including highways 210, 242, 41, 53, and 87. The William O Huske gage and Lock 1 near East Arcadia reached their highest stage since 1945.

Wider weather episode

Major Hurricane Matthew moved up the southeast coast and slowly weakened to a category 1 storm as it moved up along the South Carolina coast and then eastward near the North Carolina coast. The hurricane brought 6 to 12 inches of rain and up to 18 inches to some areas of southeast North Carolina, with the bulk of the rainfall occurring within a 12 hour period. This rain fell on wet to in some cases saturated soil due to much above normal rainfall in September. The result was historic flooding; widespread flash flooding, and an extended period of major to record river flooding. Matthew's flooding rains, surge and wind brought loss of life, displaced tens of thousands of people, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in structural damage as homes and businesses were devastated or totally destroyed. Major infrastructure will have to be repaired or rebuilt.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 663405. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.