Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 2, 2016

Name: Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, September 2, 2016
Start: 2016-09-02T15:30
End: 2016-09-02T23:30
Location: North Carolina

September 2, 2016 · NWS ILM · 16 events in 5 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $36,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS ILM wrote it up.

Hurricane Hermine made landfall as a minimal category 1 hurricane near the Florida Panhandle the night of September 1st. The hurricane weakened to a tropical storm as it moved up the eastern seaboard. The storm entered southeast NC the morning of September 2nd, and moved rapidly northeast. The storm produced very heavy rainfall with flash flooding, as well as some scattered reports of wind damage. Rainfall amounts averaged around six inches, with isolated amounts around ten inches. The highest wind gusts were around 65 mph.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Wilmington, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 2, 2:53 PM EST, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 2, 2:53 PM EST, 37 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 2, 7:00 AM EST, 8 hours 30 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

AMZ252-254-256-031200-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CAPE FEAR NC TO LITTLE RIVER INLET SC OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM LITTLE RIVER INLET TO MURRELLS INLET SC OUT
20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM MURRELLS INLET TO SOUTH SANTEE RIVER SC OUT
20 NM-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...TORNADO WATCH 462 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TORNADO WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

WATER LEVELS MAY DROP AS LOW AS MINUS 1 TO MINUS 2 FEET MLLW WITH
THE OVERNIGHT LOW TIDE AS HERMINE MOVES TO OUR NORTH AND STRONG
WINDS SHIFT OFFSHORE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

AMZ250-031200-
COASTAL WATERS FROM SURF CITY TO CAPE FEAR NC OUT 20 NM-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

WATER LEVELS MAY DROP AS LOW AS MINUS 1 TO MINUS 2 FEET MLLW WITH
THE OVERNIGHT LOW TIDE AS HERMINE MOVES TO OUR NORTH AND STRONG
WINDS SHIFT OFFSHORE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ096-105-107-031200-
BLADEN-INLAND PENDER-INLAND NEW HANOVER-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ099-109-SCZ032-033-039-053-055-031200-
COLUMBUS-INLAND BRUNSWICK-FLORENCE-MARION-WILLIAMSBURG-INLAND HORRY-
INLAND GEORGETOWN-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...TORNADO WATCH 462 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND
NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   TORNADO WATCH.
   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ087-SCZ017-023-024-031200-
ROBESON-MARLBORO-DARLINGTON-DILLON-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM EDT SATURDAY...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND
NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   WIND ADVISORY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ106-108-031200-
COASTAL PENDER-COASTAL NEW HANOVER-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK.
   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK.
   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

NCZ110-SCZ054-056-031200-
COASTAL BRUNSWICK-COASTAL HORRY-COASTAL GEORGETOWN-
800 AM EDT FRI SEP 2 2016

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...TORNADO WATCH 462 IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 PM EDT THIS AFTERNOON...
...HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING...
...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST NORTH CAROLINA AND
NORTHEAST SOUTH CAROLINA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK.
   TORNADO WATCH.
   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY.

PLEASE LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR GO TO WEATHER.GOV ON THE
INTERNET FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOLLOWING HAZARDS.

   HIGH RIP CURRENT RISK.
   FLASH FLOOD WATCH.
   TROPICAL STORM WARNING.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

RJD

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 2, 2:51 PM EST, 39 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The Wilmington radar (KLTX), 56 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

13 flash flood, 3 tropical storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Tropical Storm, Coastal New Hanover

When: September 2, 3:30 PM EST to 3:35 PM EST
Where: Coastal New Hanover forecast zone
Property damage: $25,000
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 34.181, -77.866 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds speeds were estimated at around 60 mph. Damage was reported to 10 homes from 5111-5119 on Long Pointe Road. Damage to homes was predominately minor shingle and siding damage. An old fence was blown down, and a large branch was broken off a Bradford Pear tree.

Tropical Storm, Robeson

When: September 2, 5:00 PM EST to 5:05 PM EST
Where: Robeson forecast zone
Property damage: $1,000
Reported by: Utility Company
Coordinates: 34.640, -79.103 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

There was a report of a tree down on powerlines at the intersection of Arnette St and Parkview Dr.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 5:15 PM EST to 7:15 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.9 mi SE of New Bern Jct to 0.94 mi SE of New Bern Jct
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 34.240, -77.910

Heavy rain caused the road closure at 29th Street in Wilmington.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 6:09 PM EST to 8:15 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.28 mi NNE of Baymeade to 0.29 mi N of Baymeade
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.274, -77.819

Flooding was reported in Ogden.

Flash Flood, Bladen

When: September 2, 6:17 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Bladen County, 10.77 mi SSW of Clarkton to 10.72 mi SSW of Clarkton
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.331, -78.704

There was a report of water one foot deep in the yard.

Flash Flood, Pender

When: September 2, 6:28 PM EST to 8:30 PM EST
Where: Pender County, 1.6 mi SE of Woodside to 1.54 mi SE of Woodside
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.402, -77.652

There was a report of running water on Azalea Drive.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 6:43 PM EST to 8:45 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.67 mi SE of Wilmington to 0.7 mi SE of Wilmington
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.224, -77.921

Flooding was reported at Columbus Circle off of Oleander Drive.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 6:47 PM EST to 8:45 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.63 mi ENE of Wilmington to 0.74 mi ENE of Wilmington
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 34.234, -77.920

Reports of running water across Metts Drive, with some standing water in a yard.

Flash Flood, Bladen

When: September 2, 7:15 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Bladen County, Abbottsburg to 0.46 mi S of Abbottsburg
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.520, -78.730

Around three feet of water was reported on Twisted Hickory Rd. The road was closed.

Flash Flood, Bladen

When: September 2, 7:15 PM EST to 9:15 PM EST
Where: Bladen County, 2.94 mi WSW of Dublin to 2.8 mi WSW of Dublin
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.636, -78.769

James Pait Rd was reported to be flooded. There were also reports of other roads flooded in that part of the county.

Flash Flood, Pender

When: September 2, 8:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Pender County, 0.27 mi ENE of Burgaw to 0.19 mi ENE of Burgaw
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.552, -77.926

Numerous roads were flooded. Several roads were closed including Fremont St, Brown St, Smith St, Ball Park St, and Highway 53.

Flash Flood, Pender

When: September 2, 8:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Pender County, 1.35 mi ESE of Topsail to 1.72 mi ENE of Topsail
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.393, -77.658

Numerous roads were flooded, including Azalea Dr, Country Club Rd, Ravenswood, and portions of Hwy 210.

Flash Flood, Pender

When: September 2, 8:00 PM EST to 11:00 PM EST
Where: Pender County, 1.15 mi NNW of Penderlea to 1.27 mi NNW of Penderlea
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.664, -78.061

Raccoon Rd was closed due to high water.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 8:15 PM EST to 11:30 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.6 mi NW of Wilmington to 1.77 mi W of Wilmington
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.235, -77.939

Numerous streets were reported flooded. Some were completely impassable including Dock St and Gillette Dr.

Flash Flood, New Hanover

When: September 2, 8:15 PM EST to 11:15 PM EST
Where: New Hanover County, 0.37 mi SE of Carolina Beach to 0.25 mi NE of Wilmington Beach
Cause: Heavy Rain / Tropical System
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.026, -77.896

There were reports of numerous roads flooded. South Lake Park Blvd was closed.

Tropical Storm, Robeson

When: September 2, 8:45 PM EST to 8:50 PM EST
Where: Robeson forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 34.640, -79.103 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

There was a report of a tree down on a house and downed powerlines on Kenan Ave.

What these are

Tropical Storm: A tropical cyclone with sustained winds of 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph).
Flash Flood: Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in North Carolina in 2016 Every state in 2016 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, September 2016 The 2016 hurricane season

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 661228, 661238, 661222, 661223, 661224, 661225, 661226, 661227, 661229, 661230, 661231, 661232, 661233, 661234, 661235, 661236.