Coastal Pender storm history

A 41 year old male drowned in a rip current in Surf City during the afternoon of the 17th attempting to rescue two children caught in a strong current caused by swells from Hurricane Ernesto.

A 38 year old male drowned in a rip current on Lea Island, NC Saturday afternoon. Two other people caught in the rip were rescued.

There were three people caught in a rip current. Two made it back to the beach and one person did not.

A man was pulled from the water at Topsail Beach near ocean access three.

A Greensboro man vacationing with his wife and children drowned due to a rip current near the 900 block at the south end of Topsail Beach, about 500 feet from where he initially went into the water. A moderate risk for rip currents was forecast at the time.

Surf City Fire Department reported 15 rip current rescues.

Around four inches of snow and sleet mix fell. Traffic accident involving multiple vehicles occurred in Hampstead, NC. Multiple traffic accidents reported and a few vehicles needed assistance due to sliding off the road. County offices were closed for two days and schools were cl…

Peak gust measured on Surf City Bridge. Sensor located near Topsail Island side, well below bridge peak.

Ocean over-wash occurred at 6 locations in Surf City affecting several homes, while the sound-side flooding was more pronounced with dozens of properties affected. The town's Emergency Manager reported significant beach erosion with 1 to 3 feet escarpments that were as high as 5 …

Tropical storm force wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph associated with Hurricane Ian resulted in some downed trees and isolated downed power lines. Rainfall amounts averaged 2 to 3 inches.

Large tree down on the roadway in the Olde Point area in Hampstead.

A large tree was down along Washington Acres Rd in Hampstead.

Significant ice accumulations occurred due to freezing rain before sleet mixed in overnight and finishing with a brief dusting of snow. 0.1-0.25 of ice observed across the county, with 0.25 reported NW of Hampstead. NC-50 near N New River Drive in Surf City was restricted to loca…

Surf City beaches suffered significant beach erosion at several locations along the ocean front. In addition, there were some areas where the water flooded portions of North Shore Drive, 8th Street, and Soundside Park. Also, coastal flooding impacted Sloop Point Loop Road near th…

Surf City Emergency Manager reported 10 rip related rescues.

Quarter size hail was reported in Hampstead.

Snow began falling by afternoon on Jan 3rd. Two inches of snow had fallen by 800 pm, and the totals for the event ranged from three to five inches. The low pressure responsible for the winter weather bombed off the east coast, dropping 24 millibars in twenty four hours. Record co…

Hurricane Matthew moved up the eastern seaboard, bringing very heavy rain and strong winds. Rainfall amounts ranged from four to over eight inches. Peak winds reached about 65 mph. Tropical storm force winds and flooded ground caused widespread tree and power line damage. Some tr…

A prolonged period of unseasonably high heat indices blanketed most of the southeastern US. Afternoon temperatures mainly between 95 and 100 combined with dewpoints in the mid 70s produced heat index values in the 105 to 110 range. The heat wave finally broke on Jun 26th with clo…

Slow moving Tropical Storm Ana produced tropical storm force winds with torrential rain for two days along the coast. The peak wind in the county was 35 kts with numerous reports over 30 kts. Rainfall amounts were around four to five inches, highest along the coast. Minor beach e…

Precipitation began as snow before dawn, accumulating as much as .4 in the town of Hampstead. The precipitation transitioned to freezing rain by late morning, with reports of a quarter inch of ice accumulation along the entire coast.

Hurricane Arthur moved up the eastern seaboard and became a Category 2 hurricane as it passed 40 miles to the east of Wilmington, North Carolina. The strongest wind recorded in the county was 64 mph, measured at Topsail Marker 3. Tropical storm force winds were experienced for ab…

Freezing rain began falling the morning of February 11th, with a tenth of an inch of ice accumulation reported near the coast. Driving was treacherous, with numerous power outages reported.

Freezing rain began falling the afternoon of Jan 28th, changed over to mostly sleet in the evening and overnight hours, and tapered off to flurries the morning of the 29th. Total ice accumulations were about four tenths of an inch, and sleet accumulations along the coast were abo…

Tropical Storm Andrea crossed Florida, scraped the coast of Georgia, and the center was near Hilton Head Island the morning of June 7th. Heavy rain preceded the storm, with tropical rain continuing throughout the day. Rainfall totals were impressive, with many spots receiving 3-4…

The mesonet station at Topsail Beach reported a 42 mph gust.

A 41 mph gust was measured at a mesonet station on Topsail Beach at the fire department.

A 44 mph gust was measured at a mesonet station on Topsail Beach at Marker 3.

Northwest flow aloft and southwest flow at the surface produced excessive heat at the end of June. The heat index went over 110 degrees beginning the afternoon of June 29th, continuing through the next day. The highest heat index noted was near 120 degrees. There were no reports …

Even though the center of Hurricane Irene passed over 100 miles east of the coast of southeastern North Carolina, its large windfield produced tropical storm force winds for nearly 24 hours as it made its landfall near Cape Lookout. The highest recorded wind gust at the Back Isla…

Excessive heat advisories and warnings were issued for the region for several days toward the end of July. The heat and humidity combined to push heat indicies near 110 degrees at times during the afternoon.

Rainfall amounts continued to be meager, with most areas between eight to twelve inches below normal for the year. There were sporadic reports of localized water rationing, however most communities were still under normal water usage. Although most crops around the region were de…

Rainfall totals at the end of June were well below average for much of the region, ranging from 55 to 65 percent of normal. Crops were for the most part just beginning to stress, with no reports of widespread drought damage.