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Although Hurricane Paulette is out of the picture, eastern North Carolina will experience some impacts from the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Sally beginning Thursday and indirectly extending into next week, the National Weather Service out of Morehead City/Newport said Wednesday in a press release.
The storm made landfall in Alabama early Wednesday as a Category 2 hurricane unleashing up to 30 inches of rain, 100 mph wind gusts and a six-foot storm surge. It caused catastrophic and life-threatening flooding in parts of Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle.
By 5 p.m., Sally had weakened to a tropical storm with 60 mph winds, but the flooding threat continued as heavy rain expanded into Georgia and was expected to reach the Carolinas on Thursday.
In addition to the minor coastal flooding impacts that have been forecast the last several days, the NWS is forecasting:
– Heavy rain with possible flash flooding Thursday and Friday.
– A slight chance of severe weather, with the main threats being a few damaging wind gusts and isolated tornadoes, especially late tomorrow into Friday.
– Prolonged strong northeasterly winds behind the remnants of Sally, leading to possible coastal flooding, large waves, dangerous rip currents and potentially significant beach erosion and ocean over wash.
Following on Sally’s heels are Teddy and Vicky and an unnamed storm behind those two.
