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Coastal storm slaps county
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NEWS-TIMES
BY CHERYL BURKE AND HELEN OUTLAND
MERRIMON — A powerful low-pressure system blew in high winds that pushed inland Wednesday through this morning, causing waterfront flooding, power outages and high surf.
Combined with a high tide, it flooded roadways and forced schools to close Thursday, but overall there was little damage, and schools reopened today.
For Minnie Pittman, a longtime resident here, it meant Jonaquin’s Creek covered her porch and yard.
“It’s been this way since yesterday. I could only see the tops of my collards,” said Ms. Pittman Thursday morning.
The creek was starting to recede after creeping up to the base of the steps leading up to her elevated home.
“I don’t know where the creek ends and my yard starts.”
A coastal flood advisory continued until 8 this morning, with a high surf advisory in effect until 8 p.m. north of Cape Lookout. A high threat of rip currents is also in affect through this evening.
High winds and tides arrived Wednesday, and showers and isolated storms continued through early this morning, with powerful thunderstorms.
Winds sometimes gusted to more than 50 mph in the storm system that centered on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall was 3.4 inches here, and wind advisories extended more than 100 miles into the central part of the state.
County Director of Emergency Services Jo Ann Smith had few reports of significant problems.
“There has been some isolated flooding near Cedar Island and South River, but that is about it.”
Drew Elliot of Progress Energy said this morning a total of 1,458 outages were addressed over the last 18 hours.
Lisa Galizia said Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative had responded to very few problems.
“I think there were one or two outages along Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, but only a handful,” she said.
Sarah Jamison, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport, said Thursday that Down East communities had been hit the hardest with the wind.
“Cedar Island recorded wind gusts up to 51 mph during the storm,” she said.
The National Weather Service categorized the system as an extratropical storm due to the fact it showed some of the characteristics of a tropical storm, but not all.
“Most folks around here would say it is simply a very strong nor’easter,” she said.
According to Ms. Jamison, it is the duration of the system that caused the most problems.
Schools closed Thursday after north winds and high tides pushed water across roadways, especially Down East and in Merrimon/South River and along Highway 12, and all ferry runs statewide were canceled, leaving some frustrated motorists who made it through the high water only to find a closed terminal on Cedar Island.
A rising tide and a 5 p.m. shower flooded Front Street in downtown Beaufort for several blocks and threatened businesses on the north side, where sandbags were stacked at doorways to bar the water’s entry.
John Young, Beaufort Public Works Director, said this morning he was sure there was some wet carpeting in some businesses, but otherwise he was not aware of any significant damages.
Thursday made for nervous residents along Back Creek and in communities of South River and Merrimon, where high winds pushed water up into yards. Ronnie Creech and his wife Ava, who live along Back Creek, stood at the base of the stairs leading up to their elevated home Thursday overlooking the creek. The water lapped at the base of the stairs and was starting to recede after working its way up a lamppost sitting in his yard.
“I just killed a water moccasin a half-hour ago,” said Mr. Creech as he looked at his boat that was the only thing above water in the area that is normally his dock. “I haven’t seen a gator yet. I moved my hunting dogs to high ground, and we’ve set everything up downstairs.”
In South River, Katherine Goodwin said her yard had been underwater until about noon Thursday, when it started to recede.
“The ducks were floating in the yard,” she said. “We were lucky this time. Real lucky.”
Ms. Goodwin’s home was flooded during Hurricane Isabel, which devastated South River, North River, Merrimon and Down East Carteret County in September 2003.
Cedar Island residents were also watching rising floodwaters, which had come in Wednesday and flooded Highway 12, making the road impassable.
“Water was around my house, and I wasn’t able to get to work Wednesday and Thursday because the marsh road was flooded,” said Paul Smith of Cedar Island. “I had to take my car about a mile down the road Wednesday so it wouldn’t get flooded.”
High winds Thursday caused a streetlight to go out at Friendly Road and Bridges Street. Morehead City police directed traffic until N.C. Department of Transportation workers were able to repair it.
High water was also reported Thursday near Calico Creek in the North 20th Street area in Morehead City, as well as Salter Path, Harkers Island, soundside Emerald Isle and Clubfoot Creek. By 8 a.m. this morning the waters were receding with no damage reported.
It was good news for the beaches. The east-west orientation and a north wind protected Bogue Banks from beach erosion, according to County Shore Protection Manager Greg “Rudi” Rudolph.
Meanwhile, National Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Merrell said this morning a strong thunderstorm system that moved in over Beaufort around midnight lingered there, dumping about 2 inches of rain in a few hours before moving out. Over the last 18 hours the county has received about 3.41 inches of rain.
“However, the flooding seen on Front Street was more high tide related,” he said. “Ditches are full and there is nowhere for high tide waters to go.”
Although several tornado warnings had been issued throughout the day Thursday, only one applied to Carteret County, he added.
“A tornado warning was issued around 4:13 p.m. Thursday,” he said. “Although there were reports of a sighting near Emerald Isle, there was no official word of a system.”
Mr. Merrell said a band moving over western Carteret County will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms until early afternoon today.
“A 10-15 mph southwest wind will begin to push the system on out of here by then, with the remainder of the day partly cloudy” he said.
Eyes are now turned on Tropical Storm Kyle. At 5 a.m. the center of Tropical Storm Kyle was about 510 miles south-southwest of Bermuda.
Kyle is moving toward the north at about 12 mph. A turn toward the north-northwest, accompanied by a gradual increase in forward speed, is expected later today and on Saturday. On this track the center of Kyle and the strongest winds are forecast to remain west of Bermuda.
Mr. Merrell said although the coast of North Carolina is not expected to take a direct hit from the system with it is moving by well offshore, there will be high surf and the possibility of beach erosion associated with passing storm.
Combined with a high tide, it flooded roadways and forced schools to close Thursday, but overall there was little damage, and schools reopened today.
For Minnie Pittman, a longtime resident here, it meant Jonaquin’s Creek covered her porch and yard.
“It’s been this way since yesterday. I could only see the tops of my collards,” said Ms. Pittman Thursday morning.
The creek was starting to recede after creeping up to the base of the steps leading up to her elevated home.
“I don’t know where the creek ends and my yard starts.”
A coastal flood advisory continued until 8 this morning, with a high surf advisory in effect until 8 p.m. north of Cape Lookout. A high threat of rip currents is also in affect through this evening.
High winds and tides arrived Wednesday, and showers and isolated storms continued through early this morning, with powerful thunderstorms.
Winds sometimes gusted to more than 50 mph in the storm system that centered on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall was 3.4 inches here, and wind advisories extended more than 100 miles into the central part of the state.
County Director of Emergency Services Jo Ann Smith had few reports of significant problems.
“There has been some isolated flooding near Cedar Island and South River, but that is about it.”
Drew Elliot of Progress Energy said this morning a total of 1,458 outages were addressed over the last 18 hours.
Lisa Galizia said Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative had responded to very few problems.
“I think there were one or two outages along Atlantic Beach and Emerald Isle, but only a handful,” she said.
Sarah Jamison, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Newport, said Thursday that Down East communities had been hit the hardest with the wind.
“Cedar Island recorded wind gusts up to 51 mph during the storm,” she said.
The National Weather Service categorized the system as an extratropical storm due to the fact it showed some of the characteristics of a tropical storm, but not all.
“Most folks around here would say it is simply a very strong nor’easter,” she said.
According to Ms. Jamison, it is the duration of the system that caused the most problems.
Schools closed Thursday after north winds and high tides pushed water across roadways, especially Down East and in Merrimon/South River and along Highway 12, and all ferry runs statewide were canceled, leaving some frustrated motorists who made it through the high water only to find a closed terminal on Cedar Island.
A rising tide and a 5 p.m. shower flooded Front Street in downtown Beaufort for several blocks and threatened businesses on the north side, where sandbags were stacked at doorways to bar the water’s entry.
John Young, Beaufort Public Works Director, said this morning he was sure there was some wet carpeting in some businesses, but otherwise he was not aware of any significant damages.
Thursday made for nervous residents along Back Creek and in communities of South River and Merrimon, where high winds pushed water up into yards. Ronnie Creech and his wife Ava, who live along Back Creek, stood at the base of the stairs leading up to their elevated home Thursday overlooking the creek. The water lapped at the base of the stairs and was starting to recede after working its way up a lamppost sitting in his yard.
“I just killed a water moccasin a half-hour ago,” said Mr. Creech as he looked at his boat that was the only thing above water in the area that is normally his dock. “I haven’t seen a gator yet. I moved my hunting dogs to high ground, and we’ve set everything up downstairs.”
In South River, Katherine Goodwin said her yard had been underwater until about noon Thursday, when it started to recede.
“The ducks were floating in the yard,” she said. “We were lucky this time. Real lucky.”
Ms. Goodwin’s home was flooded during Hurricane Isabel, which devastated South River, North River, Merrimon and Down East Carteret County in September 2003.
Cedar Island residents were also watching rising floodwaters, which had come in Wednesday and flooded Highway 12, making the road impassable.
“Water was around my house, and I wasn’t able to get to work Wednesday and Thursday because the marsh road was flooded,” said Paul Smith of Cedar Island. “I had to take my car about a mile down the road Wednesday so it wouldn’t get flooded.”
High winds Thursday caused a streetlight to go out at Friendly Road and Bridges Street. Morehead City police directed traffic until N.C. Department of Transportation workers were able to repair it.
High water was also reported Thursday near Calico Creek in the North 20th Street area in Morehead City, as well as Salter Path, Harkers Island, soundside Emerald Isle and Clubfoot Creek. By 8 a.m. this morning the waters were receding with no damage reported.
It was good news for the beaches. The east-west orientation and a north wind protected Bogue Banks from beach erosion, according to County Shore Protection Manager Greg “Rudi” Rudolph.
Meanwhile, National Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Merrell said this morning a strong thunderstorm system that moved in over Beaufort around midnight lingered there, dumping about 2 inches of rain in a few hours before moving out. Over the last 18 hours the county has received about 3.41 inches of rain.
“However, the flooding seen on Front Street was more high tide related,” he said. “Ditches are full and there is nowhere for high tide waters to go.”
Although several tornado warnings had been issued throughout the day Thursday, only one applied to Carteret County, he added.
“A tornado warning was issued around 4:13 p.m. Thursday,” he said. “Although there were reports of a sighting near Emerald Isle, there was no official word of a system.”
Mr. Merrell said a band moving over western Carteret County will bring scattered showers and thunderstorms until early afternoon today.
“A 10-15 mph southwest wind will begin to push the system on out of here by then, with the remainder of the day partly cloudy” he said.
Eyes are now turned on Tropical Storm Kyle. At 5 a.m. the center of Tropical Storm Kyle was about 510 miles south-southwest of Bermuda.
Kyle is moving toward the north at about 12 mph. A turn toward the north-northwest, accompanied by a gradual increase in forward speed, is expected later today and on Saturday. On this track the center of Kyle and the strongest winds are forecast to remain west of Bermuda.
Mr. Merrell said although the coast of North Carolina is not expected to take a direct hit from the system with it is moving by well offshore, there will be high surf and the possibility of beach erosion associated with passing storm.
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