Strong rip currents led to many rescues at two area beaches.
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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.
The episode as NWS ILM wrote it up.
Strong rip currents led to many rescues at two area beaches.
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 Jul 4, 9:07 AM EST, 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 1007 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 .SYNOPSIS... A wave of low pressure in the Atlantic approaching Florida will increase showers and thunderstorms chances across the Southeast today and Thursday. Rain chances will increase this weekend as a cold front moves in from the northwest. High pressure will build in from the north Monday and Tuesday, helping to dry out the region. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 1015 AM Wednesday...Forecast is in good shape this morning. Not quite the coverage of showers just yet and high resolution guidance has backed off a bit at least through about noon or 1 PM. Have maintained pops as is however. Forecast highs on track as well. Previous discussion follows: GOES-16 WV imagery this morning is pretty incredible with a clearly identifiable closed upper low translating westward off the coast of N FL. While this looks like a tropical feature, the incoming airmass is actually of Canadian origin and has little in the way of a surface reflection. The exception is in the increasing showers over the Atlantic Ocean due to increasing moist advection, and the evolution of this activity is the forecast challenge for this Independence Day Holiday. While the northern tier of the nation bakes under an expanding and retrograding mid-level ridge, the Carolinas will remain on the southern periphery, allowing for easterly flow to continue and increase locally. It is within this easterly flow that the aforementioned upper low and weak surface trough will advect westward into N FL today, surging moisture into the ILM CWA. This is already occurring as noted by increasing shower activity on KLTX reflectivity offshore. However, drier air inland is eroding most of these showers as they push onshore, and this will remain the case with only a SCHC of showers along the coast through daybreak. Despite the PWAT surge to 2" forecast today, much of this moisture is confined below 700mb, with very dry air evident on forecast profiles above 500mb. This is thanks to the Canadian origin of the easterly flow around the high to the north, and will somewhat inhibit showers/tstms today. Still anticipate scattered showers, first along the coast through late morning, and then shifting inland through the aftn/eve. Tstms are also possible as MLCape climbs to 1000-1500 J/kg, but dewpoint depressions within the charge separation zone (<-12C) are high, leading to likely dry air entrainment of parcels which will struggle to to persist updrafts deep enough for lightning. The potential exists, but have changed Wx type to RW- with Iso T, as opposed to predominant TRW-. QPF should be mostly light, around 0.1 inches with some locations receiving up to 0.25 inches. There will likely be a lull in precip late evening into the first part of tonight as noted by most high res guidance. This is likely due to the typical diurnal decrease of convection offshore combined with loss of instability with loss of heating, before showers redevelop offshore and advect onto the coast again overnight associated with the actual surface trough. This suggests that there will be a window right around fireworks time when convective elements may be at a spatial minimum. The best chance for dry celebrations this evening will be the eastern third of the CWA, but even inland do not expect a washout for most displays. Temps today will be at least somewhat tempered by clouds and showers, keeping highs around 90 well inland to the mid 80s at the beaches. Humidity will remain high as dewpoints persist in the low/mid 70s, but heat index values will stay below 100 across the area today. Mins tonight will again be sultry, dropping only to 72-75, warmest at the coast. && .SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 4 PM Wednesday...Several high PWAT plumes and surface convergence opportunities, paired with July heating, and TUTT low support aloft, will ensure scattered convection this period. As the first wave of TUTT moisture is tapped Thursday, and PWAT spikes, it to be followed by another plume of elevated column moisture preceding an approaching cold front Friday. As such the 2 primary rain chance periods appear to be, most of Thursday, and again Friday night ahead of a cold front. Moisture depth and support aloft should result in a few TSTMS, shear is weak but DCAPE will be moderate, with dry air perched above 18 kft. Max-T very close to climatology, minimums slightly warmer than normal. .LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY/... As of 3 PM Tuesday...Mid-level ridge continues to retreat west allowing a southward extension of the 5h trough over New England for the weekend. The trough helps drag a cold front into the area on Sat which then heads south of the area Sun. Precipitable water rises over 2 inches this weekend which, coupled with low level convergence and diurnal instability, should lead to good coverage of showers and thunderstorms. Second shortwave dropping in from the northwest later Sun helps push the front farther south Mon and Tue. Surface and mid-level high pressure build in from the north and west late in the period, drying the region out next week. Highs near to slightly above climo on Fri drop a little below climo for the weekend and start of next week. Cloud cover will decrease Mon and Tue but incoming air mass is slightly cooler. Lows above climo prior to the arrival of the front will be near to slightly below climo for next week. && .AVIATION /14Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 12Z...Convection already in the vicinity, courtesy of a TUTT low rotating slowly westward. Time height indicates most of the convection will be low topped, with only isolated thunder expected. Winds will be mainly easterly. Extended Outlook...Mainly VFR through the extended, except for possible brief restrictions due to widely scattered afternoon and/or evening convection, and sub VFR conditions due to ground fog and low stratus during the pre-dawn hours. && .MARINE... NEAR TERM /THROUGH TONIGHT/... As of 4 AM Wednesday...Increasing easterly wind combined with a long period and duration of easterly fetch will drive amplifying seas today. A modest LLJ has pushed easterly winds up to 10-15kts with higher gusts this morning, and these winds are forecast to persist through the aftn before beginning to ease this evening. By tonight wind speeds will drop below 10 kts, while remaining from the east. Wave heights currently 2-3 ft will build steadily to around 4 ft this aftn as a 6 sec easterly wave amplifies to 4-5 ft, but seas will then drop off this evening as the wind wave deamplifies, but a 7-8 sec E/SE swell will persist producing 2-3 ft seas into Thursday morning. SHORT TERM /THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT/... As of 4 AM Wednesday...E-SE winds 15 kt or less Thursday will veer to S, as a cold front Friday approaches from the north and northwest, crossing the coast into Saturday. No advisories are expected, but radar updates are encouraged, as strong showers and isolated TSTMs will prevail both Thursday and Friday. Wave energy will be dominated by SE waves around 3 feet every 8-9 seconds. LONG TERM /SATURDAY THROUGH SUNDAY/... As of 3 PM Tuesday...Weak gradient becomes a little more defined on Sat as cold front moves into the region. Arrival of the cold front increases southerly flow into Sat with speeds increasing to 10 kt. Front lingers in the area on Sat before being pushed south Sat night into Sun by high pressure building in from the north. Northeast surge develops late Sat night and continues into Sun with northeast winds in the 10 to 15 kt range. Seas around 2 ft Sat, remain 2 to 3 ft Sat night and Sun but development of northeast winds may lead to multiple wind waves and a chaotic sea state. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. NC...None. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...MJC NEAR TERM...JDW/SHK SHORT TERM...MJC LONG TERM...III AVIATION...43 MARINE...
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wilmington NC 406 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 NCZ087-096-099-105-107-109-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-039-055-058-059- 050815- Robeson-Bladen-Columbus-Inland Pender-Inland New Hanover- Inland Brunswick-Marlboro-Darlington-Dillon-Florence-Marion- Williamsburg-Inland Georgetown-Central Horry-Northern Horry- 406 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. NCZ110-050815- Coastal Brunswick- 406 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast North Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Elevated rip currents are possible on Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. NCZ106-108-SCZ054-056-050815- Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Horry-Coastal Georgetown- 406 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING... 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. Moderate Risk of Rip Currents. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. Elevated rip currents may continue into Thursday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. AMZ250-252-254-256-050815- Coastal waters from Surf City to Cape Fear NC out 20 nm- 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- 406 AM EDT Wed Jul 4 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the adjacent Coastal Waters. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. 17
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong rip currents led to 20 rescues at Wrightsville Beach. Another 24 rescues occurred at Carolina Beach.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, July 2018
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 776162.