[122][123] Another person died when his vehicle was swept away along a flooded road in Louisa. PAGE 1 OF 6 Tropical Cyclone Florence | Report #17 - FINAL REPORT TIME & DATE: 12:00 PM EDT | Saturday, September 22, 2018 INCIDENT START DATE: Thursday, September 13, 2018 PRIMARY LOCATION(S): North Carolina & South Carolina REPORT DISTRIBUTION: Public This will be the final regularly issued Situation Report from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) about impacts from Hurricane Florence was a powerful and long-lived Cape Verde hurricane that caused catastrophic damage in the Carolinas in September2018, primarily as a result of freshwater flooding due to torrential rain. [105] In Union County, a woman drove around a barrier into a flooded road and her vehicle was swept away. [76] On September 14, about 100 civilians, city workers, and National Guard worked to fill sandbags and protect Lumberton, North Carolina from an identified weak spot that caused massive flooding during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Inland flooding from Florence inundated cities such as Fayetteville, Smithfield, Lumberton, Durham, and Chapel Hill. Zoo reopens Tuesday, offers free admission to Florence evacuees:: WRAL.com", "Rivers keep rising in Carolinas as Trump tours Florence 'nightmare' aftermath", "Evacuated and evicted, many of Hurricane Florence's victims have nowhere to go", "Flood Fighters and Recovery Crews Roll in The Carolinas", "Avoid I-95: Drivers told to 'go around' North Carolina", "I-95 reopens in North Carolina 10 days after Hurricane Florence", "Countless dead fish on I-40 create 'horrible' stench as Florence floods recede", "Trump visits Hurricane Florence-ravaged Carolinas", "Trump visits North Carolina after Hurricane Florence: 'We're ready to do whatever we have to', "Congress Considering a Nearly $1.7 Billion Relief Package for Hurricane Florence Efforts", "Florence gone but its flooding a crisis in parts of North Carolina -- live updates", "Family of sheriff's van drowning victim calls for criminal charges against deputies", "A warmer world makes hurricanes wetter and more intense", "Florence and Michael retired by the World Meteorological Organization | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration", Weather Underground Hurricane Florence tracker, Weather Underground Weather Map & Forecasting Models, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hurricane_Florence&oldid=1137181813, September 2018 events in the United States, 2018 natural disasters in the United States, Articles with dead external links from January 2020, Articles with permanently dead external links, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles to be expanded from September 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Safety information and tips from Ready.Gov, Safety information and tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, This page was last edited on 3 February 2023, at 06:51. Consistent flooding rains impacted Carteret County, prompting a flash flood emergency by this time. Like any tropical cyclone, there are several main requirements for typhoon formation and development: (1) sufficiently warm sea surface temperatures, (2) atmospheric instability, (3) high humidity in the lower to middle levels of the troposphere, (4) enough Coriolis effect to develop a low pressure center, (5) a pre- , The seventh tropical depression, fifth named storm and the second tropical cyclone of the season, Eloise's origins can be traced to a disturbance over the central portion of the South-West Indian Ocean basin which developed into a tropical depression on 16 January, and strengthened into a tropical storm on 17 January, . Meteorological history of a 2018 hurricane, Florence as a Category3 hurricane at 16:30UTC on September5 (, Meteorological history of Hurricane Florence. Approximately 400homes in Dillon County were flooded. [46] The hurricane's core soon unraveled on September13 as mid-level wind shear increased and upwelling of colder water reduced available energy. [32], Environmental conditions became increasingly conducive to reorganization on September8 as NOAA Hurricane Hunters began reconnaissance of the cyclone. [52] Rainfall rates within the western eyewall reached an estimated 3in (75mm) per hour while widespread accumulations of 1 to 2in (25 to 50mm) per hour fell within the eastern band. Winds downed about 20trees in the Lancaster area, one of which fell onto a home and others falling onto a road. [80][106][108] One man was killed in Kinston by strong winds while checking on his hunting dogs. The magnitude of flooding greatly exceeded the levels observed due to Hurricane Matthew in 2016. "Deforestation . On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. [46] Evacuations along the rest of the Outer Banks and in Brunswick County went in effect on September 11. The sixth named storm, third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Florence originated from a strong tropical wave that emerged off the west coast of Africa on August30, 2018. [85] There was a report of looting and burglary at a Wilmington area Family Dollar, with the theft of non-essential items such as sports apparel and athletic shoes during the height of the storm. [111] Two other accidents each killed one person: an elderly man died of oxygen loss related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease during a power outage, and a person collapsed and died in Sampson County while helping an evacuee. A weather station in Swansboro, North Carolina, recorded 33.90 inches (861mm) of rain, establishing a new record for a tropical cyclone in that state. [102] One man drowned on September11, at Florida's Playalinda Beach, while trying to rescue a 10-year-old boy caught in a rip current. The first phase is the formation of the tropical cyclone, and numerous factors can lead to this, such as The four stages in the life cycle of an extratropical cyclone are: (1) the initial state, (2) the incipient stage, (3) the mature stage, and (4) the occlusion stage. [64][65][66] In West Virginia, Governor Jim Justice ordered for construction along northbound Interstate 77 (West Virginia Turnpike) between the Virginia border in Mercer County and Charleston to be suspended in order to improve traffic flow for evacuees. [143] Parts of I-95 and I-40 in North Carolina reopened ten days later September 23, while hundreds of other roads remained closed. Once over land, the forward motion of the hurricane slowed to about 2 to 3 miles per hour. [104], Two people in North Carolina died while trying to evacuate: one in Columbus County and Wayne County. Multiple factors can limit development and intensification of a tropical cyclone. Turning northwest toward the United States, a second phase of rapid intensification ensued that day into September10 with Florence regaining Category4 strength. At a Glance. A strengthening trough moving inland over the Pacific Northwest amplified ridging over the Northeastern United States and western Atlantic Ocean, steering Florence to the west-northwest. [94] Hurricane-related flooding damaged an estimated seventy-five thousand structures, many of which had been previously damaged in Hurricane Matthew. Flooding persisted along multiple rivers for more than a week after the storm. Though the tropical wave lacked a well-defined low-level circulation center, the NHC began issuing advisories on the system as Potential Tropical Cyclone Six later that day as the system was threatening Cape Verde. Tropical Depression Nine appeared at the same time as Eight but was much quicker to develop. Heavy rain continued to fall across central and western portions of North Carolina and Virginia", "NWSWilmingtonNC confirmed a recent ob at Marion 3 E, SC was reasonable. Amazing images show I-40 completely flooded", "NC road closures and reopenings: I-40, I-95 affected by Florence", Post Tropical Cyclone ReportTropical Storm Florence, "Florence has made Wilmington, N.C., an island cut off from the rest of the world", "Emergency crews throw supply lifeline to isolated Wilmington", "Storm Florence: Heavy flooding cuts off Wilmington", "Looting at Family Dollar store in Wilmington", "Tornado confirmed near Elm City; some damage reported", "The Cape Fear River crested overnight in Fayetteville at 61.4 feet", "Hurricane Florence insured losses to range from $2.8 billion to $5 billion: RMS", "Did global warming heighten Hurricane Florence's impact? A new rain band developed closer to the storm's core over New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, Bladen, and Sampson counties. Coupled with a powerful storm surge, the rainfall caused widespread flooding along a long stretch of the North Carolina coast, from New Bern to Wilmington. [1] Florence later transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September17 before dissipating the following day. Damage in Georgia totaled $30million. [8] Later, however, pronounced banding features developed around the circulation, prompting the NHC to upgrade the depression to Tropical Storm Florence at 0900Z on September 1. [1][35] Fueled by sea surface temperatures of 84.2 to 85.1F (29 to 29.5C), Florence rapidly intensified overnight. It only lasted for a short amount of time. The storm dropped up to 27.2in (690mm) of rain near Kings Grant. [1] Precipitation gradually subsided as the system weakened and the flooding threat lessened accordingly. A park was flooded after the Gills Creek overflowed. Initially being inhibited by increased wind shear and dry air, the small cyclone took advantage of a small area of low shear and warm waters. [63] However, the remnants of Florence subsequently emerged into the Atlantic, before splitting into two separate storms. [97] A Superfund site was also damaged, causing PCB to enter homes, a toxic substance which required cleanup efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency. A cyclone is an area of low pressure around which winds move counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. RESEARCH TOPIC: THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPACT OF TROPICAL CYCLONES Guidelines for discussion Choose ONE of the following Tropical cyclones: Hagibis Nivar Ingrid Florence Eloise The desktop research must centre around ONE of the tropical cyclones. [68], In Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, 27people required lifeguard rescue between September8 and 9. One woman died of unknown causes in a shelter, and two people found dead on Harkers Island were deemed victims of a murder-suicide. Many roads became impassable or were washed out. The sixth named storm, third hurricane, and the first major hurricane of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season, Florence originated from a strong tropical wave that emerged off the west coast of Africa on August 30, 2018. Environmental conditions remained highly favorable for intensification and the NHC forecast the system to strengthen just below Category5 status by September13;[44] however, the system soon weakened and degraded to Category3 status by 18:00UTC. The sea surface usually reaches its highest levels of temperature during the late summer months thus leading to the activation of tropical cyclones. Thereafter, conditions again became unfavorable and the hurricane quickly diminished to a tropical storm on September 7. Florence was a short-lived tropical storm over the eastern Atlantic Ocean that dissipated east of the northern Leeward Islands. Yet each stage of the process entails a fresh contribution to greenhouse. Many other locations throughout North Carolina set new records for rainfall, exceeding the previous State record for rainfall from a tropical system of 24.06 inches, which was set over a 4-day period in Southport, N.C., during Hurricane Floyd in 1999. The hurricane's sluggish movement resulted in widespread, catastrophic rainfall throughout North and South Carolina. Its close proximity to the coastline enabled it to maintain its organization and only slowly degrade. [47] On September10, Governor Henry McMaster ordered evacuations for the entire coastline of South Carolina,[48] constituting roughly 1million people. The . This is essential for the continuing development of the cyclone, by providing energy into the storm system. a) Formation and initial development (b) Full maturity (c) Modification or decay! [54] All students were evacuated by noon on September 11. Shear decreases markedly for smaller radii & anything larger than 2 degrees is probably too big. About Florence Tropical Cyclones [49] On September 10, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam ordered mandatory evacuations for low-lying coastal areas in the Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore regions effective September 11, constituting 245,000 people. Approximately 86,000homes across North and South Carolina were flooded or otherwise damaged. [26] Persistent shear finally took its toll on Florence on September6 through September7, causing convection to become asymmetrical and tilting the storm's core southwest to northeast. [61], The system finally weakened to a tropical depression over South Carolina by 18:00UTC on September16, more than two days after it made landfall. [110] An 18-wheeler aquaplaned off Interstate 85 near Kings Mountain and crashed into a tree; the vehicle tore in half, killing the driver. Initially being inhibited by increased wind shear and dry air, the small cyclone took advantage of a small area of low shear and warm waters. Although the hurricane continued its slow movement west, the rain band gradually propagated east resulting in no net movement. McMaster Orders Entire Coastline to Evacuate", "1 Million People Ordered to Evacuate South Carolina Coast as Hurricane Florence Gathers Strength", "Virginia Governor Orders Mandatory Evacuation for Some of Virginia, Including Parts of the Eastern Shore", "US 'monster' hurricane set to strengthen", "Mandatory evacuations issued ahead of Hurricane Florence", "Evacuations Recommended, County Shelter to Open", "UNC-Wilmington issues mandatory evacuation order beginning Monday", "UNCW issues mandatory evacuation for students", "NC State vs. West Virginia Football Game Will Not Be Played This Weekend", "UNC-UCF, WVU-NC State, ECU-Va. Tech games called off", "App State-Southern Miss Football Game Will Not Be Played Saturday", "South Carolina-Marshall football game canceled", "As Florence approaches, most Greensboro and N.C. colleges will close", "Closings this week at UNC-Greensboro, High Point University", "UNC, NC State, ECU games called off for the weekend; classes canceled", "McMaster orders schools across SC to close Tuesday as Florence approaches", "Charlotte Motor Speedway, Atlanta Motor Speedway open campgrounds to Florence evacuees", "Bristol Motor Speedway opens campground for Hurricane Florence evacuees", "Talladega Superspeedway offers shelter for Hurricane Florence evacuees", "Justice suspends Turnpike work, lowers state park prices as part of Florence response", "Over 2 dozen rip current rescues at Wrightsville Beach this weekend as Hurricane Florence approaches The University of North Carolina Wilmington received over $140 million in damage and have been forced to close The University Apartments, a residential hall on campus", "North Carolina Meteorologists Forced Off-Air During Broadcast By Florence Flooding", "Statement from WCTI General Manager Matt Bowman", "Hurricane Florence Forces WCTI Meteorologists to Evacuate During Broadcast", "Around 150 people in need of rescue in N. Carolina City", "America's 'One-in-1,000-Year' Rainfall Events in 2018 | The Weather Channel", "Hurricane Florence makes landfall in North Carolina, with plenty of destruction and suffering ahead", "Over 100 volunteers unite to prevent flooding in North Carolina community", "Updated preliminary rainfall totals across North and South Carolina from Hurricane Florence received as of 2 p.m. EDT, on Sunday, September 16.