Hurricane Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian formed on August 24, 2019 from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and gradually strengthened as it moved toward the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on August 28.
Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 MHX wrote it up.
Hurricane Dorian was the fourth named storm, second hurricane, and first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season. Dorian formed on August 24, 2019 from a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic and gradually strengthened as it moved toward the Lesser Antilles, becoming a hurricane on August 28. Rapid intensification occurred, and on August 31, Dorian became a Category 4 hurricane. On September 1, Dorian reached Category 5 intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, and a minimum central pressure of 910 mb (26.87 inHg) while making landfall in Elbow Cay, Bahamas. Dorian made another landfall on Grand Bahama several hours later. The ridge of high pressure steering Dorian westward collapsed on September 2, causing Dorian to stall just north of Grand Bahama for about a day. It is the strongest known tropical system to impact the Bahamas. A combination of cold water upwelling and an eyewall replacement cycle weakened Dorian to a Category 2 hurricane on the next day. On the morning of September 3, Dorian began to move slowly towards the north-northwest. Dorian subsequently completed its eyewall replacement cycle and moved over warmer waters, regaining Category 3 intensity by midnight on September 5. In the early hours of September 6, Dorian weakened to Category 1 intensity as it picked up speed and turned northeast. Dorian would pick up speed and move northeast along the North Carolina coast September 6, moving east of the Crystal Coast, clipping Cape Lookout and eventually making landfall at Cape Hatteras before making yet another landfall in Nova Scotia on September 8.
The initial impacts from Dorian actually occurred during the morning hours of September 5 when several tornadoes touched down in eastern North Carolina. The most damaging tornado occurred in Emerald Isle in Carteret County. The tornado touched down shortly after 9 AM and damaged numerous businesses and homes, including the Salty Pirate Water Park. This tornado was rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale with estimated winds of 115 mph. As the eye of Dorian moved northeastward and clipped Cape Lookout, peak wind gusts of 110 mph were recorded at the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal, 89 mph at Fort Macon, 85 mph at Beaufort and 82 mph at Cape Lookout. Wind gusts around 100 mph were also recorded on Hatteras Island. Rainfall amounts of 5 to 10 inches were recorded across a broad area of Eastern North Carolina. Storm surge flooding occurred in Cedar Island, Hatteras Island, and Ocracoke Island. The most severe storm surge flooding occurred in Ocracoke where several people were trapped in their attics by flooding from the 4-to-7-foot storm surge, requiring rescue by boats. People were airlifted off the island to shelters on the mainland while food and water were brought in to residents on the island. North Carolina Highway 12 along Ocracoke Island suffered significant damage from flooding. More than 190,000 North Carolina homes lost power during the storm.
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 Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Sep 5, 2:40 AM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes earlier.
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</html>The Morehead City radar (KMHX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 09:05 UTC.
9 tropical storm, 5 hurricane (typhoon), 4 flash flood, 4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Water covered roads throughout Washington County.
A waterspout near Bogue Inlet Pier came onshore as a tornado near|Janell Ln., Boardwalk RV Park and Salty Pirate Waterpark in Emerald|Isle. The waterspout was quite large when it was offshore and was |viewed by the Bogue Inlet Pier web cam courtesy of Surfline. The |most intense damage was found here. On Janell Lane, a |section of a metal roof was removed on one side of a house that was |in the opposite direction of the storm motion. On the other side of |the house, with the storm motion, large sections of the metal |roof were removed with similar damage to a house next door. As the |path crossed into the RV park, numerous RV style homes were tossed |and rolled more than 30 feet, ripping out ground anchors that |strapped them down.
In the middle of the path, where the winds were strongest, numerous|RV type homes suffered complete destruction. Based on the complete|destruction of the homes, along with the loss of substantial sections|of a metal roof, which usually have a higher wind rating, damage was|consistent with that of an EF 2 tornado or around 115 MPH.
The path continued to the north northwest where more damage was |found to the Salty Pirate Waterpark and continued across Highway 58 |(Emerald Drive) where several homes were damaged along W Harbor Trail |and Sunrise Ct. The tornado then moved over the Bogue Sound, |becoming a waterspout again. Eyewitness accounts indicate that a |funnel may have persisted, but no apparent tornado damage was |found in Cedar Point.
Several videos from members of the public conclusively show that the |funnel cloud returned to the surface in the form of a waterspout as |it crossed over the lower White Oak River. The waterspout continued for |several minutes northwestward up the White Oak River before once |again coming ashore as a tornado and causing major roof damage to a |home on Watersedge Cir. and minor damage to several other structures |in the Holland Point Dr. area.
The tornado then tracked through mostly forested and undeveloped |land for approximately 6 miles before heavily damaging a farm and |residential property on Kidd Ln. in Maysville. Based on eyewitness |accounts, the funnel cloud may have persisted for several more |miles, but the lack of identifiable tornado damage indicates that |the end of the tornado path was this location on Kidd Ln. in southern |Maysville.
NC highway patrol reported a tornado briefly touched down.
The tornado started near the intersection of Gray and Lewis Road, and|moved off to the northwest where trees were down on Kite Town Road. The|sporadic path continued northwest across Wilmar Road before ending in a|field. The damage consisted mainly of uprooted or snapped trees with |estimated top winds of 75 mph. We thank Craven County Emergency Services|for the help with this tornado survey.
A tornado touched down briefly near City Hall in downtown New Bern. Damage was primarily concentrated near the intersection of Pollock and Craven Streets. The damage was mostly minor consisting of numerous smaller limbs that were snapped along with a trash can blown over. Along Craven Street, a larger part of a tree was broken along with some damage to an awning. Top winds of around 65 mph were estimated.
Flooding reported on Mulberry and Masters Ct, Starboard Dr, Seafarers Ct, parts of Channel Run, and Ashley Pl.
Jacksonville gusted to 62 mph at 5:41 AM EDT.
Kenansville gusted to 45 mph at 3:55 AM EDT.
Cherry Point gusted to 70 mph at 5:54 AM EDT.
Pocosin Lakes gusted to 55 mph at 7:17 AM EDT.
Kinston Airport gusted to 54 mph at 3:20 AM EDT.
Dorian brought with it storm surge flooding, flash flooding, and category 2 strength hurricane force wind gusts as it moved through during the early morning hours. Storm surge values of 4 to 6 feet above ground level were recorded on Cedar Island. Radar rainfall estimates of around 8 inches of rain or more also contributed to some flash flooding, with rainfall rates exceeding 2 inches per hour.
Hurricane force wind gusts, flash flooding due to rainfall rates over 2 inches per hour, and minor storm surge were felt across western portions of Carteret County during the early morning hours. A peak wind gust of 89 mph was measured at the Fort Macon WxFlow site at 4:21 AM.
Flooding around the area of W Bogue Blvd and S Durham Ave. The time was estimated based off radar data.
Greenville gusted to 48 mph at 5:35 AM EDT.
The Bunyan RAWS site had a peak gust to 58 mph at 7:13 AM EDT.
Multiple roads covered in water around the area. The time was estimated based off radar data.
Hurricane Dorian brought record storm surge to Ocracoke Island and Village during the morning hours. Storm surge values averaged around 6 feet, to locally as high as 7 feet, across Ocracoke Village, peaking around 8:00 AM as water from Pamlico Sound surged onto the island. An incredible 5 feet of water rise happened in just 10 minutes time. Most homes and businesses suffered damage due to storm surge inundation. Hurricane force wind gusts as high as 89 mph were recorded, which peaked at 6:15 AM.
Fairfield gusted to 60 mph at 9:17 AM EDT.
Hurricane Dorian produced major storm surge flooding, category 2 hurricane force wind gusts, and heavy rainfall during the morning hours. Storm surge values of 4 to 6 feet above ground were measured across Hatteras Island, peaking between 8:00 AM and 9:00 AM. Many homes and businesses sustained inundation as water from Pamlico Sound pushed into Hatteras Island behind the passage of the eye of the hurricane. A peak wind gust of 101 mph was measured at the Hatteras High WxFlow site at 9:33 AM.
Dare Bombing Range gusted to 69 mph at 11:28 AM EDT.
Hurricane Dorian produced minor storm surge flooding, category 2 hurricane force wind gusts, and heavy rainfall during the morning hours into early afternoon. A peak wind gust of 98 mph was measured at the Jennettes Pier WxFlow site at 12:23 PM EDT.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for North Carolina, 2019Warnings in North Carolina, September 2019The 2019 hurricane season
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 846570, 844803, 856840, 844804, 844805, 846568, 849838, 849835, 849834, 849840, 849837, 846998, 847015, 846569, 849839, 849833, 846571, 847024, 849836, 847025, 849841, 847026.