Several towns in southeastern North Carolina saw historic rainfall Monday as a potential tropical cyclone ripped through the area. Precipitation in Carolina Beach, along the coast near Wilmington, set an especially striking record. According to the National Weather Service, 18 inches of rain fell over Ocean Boulevard over the course of 12 hours — something that only happens "once every 1,000 years," meteorologists said.
"Historic rain has fallen across Carolina Beach, Southport, and BSL today," the weather service in Wilmington wrote in a social media post shared Monday afternoon. "Volunteer gauges have recorded over a foot of rain since midnight."
Citing National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, the weather service noted that 12 inches of rainfall over a 12-hour period only occurs in this area once every 200 years on average. That uncommon threshold was met in a number of places where gauges collected rainfall measurements from midnight Monday through midday.
The 18 inches recorded on Ocean Boulevard at Carolina Beach was the highest rainfall total tied to the weather system. After that, areas around nearby Snows Cut Bridge, Sunny Point Military Terminal and Boiling Springs Lakes all received upwards of 14 inches in half a day's time. Parts of Southport and the town of St. James each recorded more than a foot of rain, while Leland, which is closer to Wilmington, saw almost 7 inches. Rainfall totals in Wilmington itself were considerably lower, with a measurement taken at the Wilmington Airport showing just over 3 1/2 inches.
Dangerous flash flooding and powerful, gusty winds struck portions of southeastern North Carolina Monday, when the National Hurricane Center warned that some effects of the storm they called Potential Tropical Cyclone Eight could be "life-threatening." At 5 p.m. EDT that afternoon, forecasters estimated that the system would bring another 4 to 8 inches of rainfall to parts of the region before the end of the night, with up to 10 inches of rainfall possible in some places.
By Tuesday morning, close to two feet of rain — around 21 inches — had fallen along Ocean Boulevard at Carolina Beach, according to the weather service. Nineteen inches of rain was recorded around the same time in Southport, with a number of other sites in the area recording deluges that were similarly massive. Boiling Springs Lakes and Long Beach reported 16 inches of rain, and as much as 9 inches had fallen in parts of Wilmington.
The weather service in Wilmington shared images of some of the damage caused by Monday's rain and flooding. In Brunswick County, the weather caused part of a road to collapse, with fragments of it seen floating in a pit of muddied water that pooled beneath.
"There have been major road washouts across Brunswick County to dto today's heavy rainfall and flash flooding," the service said.
Forecasters said areas hit Monday weren't expected to see additional rain Tuesday. The myriad flash flood warnings previously in place across the area expired before midnight.
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