Flash Flooding in North Carolina, May 1 to 2, 1999

A late-season nor'easter caused high wind, rough seas, heavy rains well inland, and temperatures 20 degrees below normal. A low pressure system formed off the SC coast and developed for 4 days, moving out to sea on 5/2. Over the coastal waters, gale warnings for wind at least 34 knots were up for 72 hours, and storm warnings for wind at least 47 knots were up for 44 hours as winds gusted around 60 kts and seas reached 17 feet. Along the coast wind gusts reached 50 mph. A small skiff boat overturned at the mouth of the Cape fear River on 4/29, resulted in a death. With surf reaching 8 feet and a full moon spring tide on 4/30, there was erosion mainly to east-facing beaches, and tides 2 feet above normal caused minor coastal flooding.Rainfall through 4/30 totalled 2 to 6 inches across Northeast SC and Southeast NC, with the heaviest rain from near Cape Romain west across Georgetown, Williamsburg, Clarendon, Sumpter, Lee and Darlington Counties. As the system moved slowly north, heavier rains came ashore at Cape Fear on the 4/30 and especially 5/1, when around 7 inches fell across much of New Hanover, Brunswick, and Eastern Columbus Counties, raising the storm total to 10-13 inches in parts of those counties, resulting in widespread flooding and many road closures. The lake at Carolina beach flooded-out many residents of the area.