Moderate rip current activity led to multiple rescues across New Hanover County.
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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.
Moderate rip current activity led to multiple rescues across New Hanover County.
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 Aug 14, 7:40 AM EST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Wilmington NC 840 AM EDT Sat Aug 14 2021 .SYNOPSIS... Hot and humid weather will continue today as high pressure remains across the coastal Carolinas. An approaching front combined with moisture associated with disorganized Tropical Depression Fred will increase the potential for showers and thunderstorms Sunday through a good portion of next week. && .UPDATE... Mid-level ridging remains in control with dry air in place from the lower-levels through the mid-levels. Morning soundings only indicate PWATs of 1.4-1.6 inches as a result. The current forecast looks good with only very minor changes made with the morning update. && .NEAR TERM /THROUGH SUNDAY/... High pressure centered several hundred miles off the North Carolina coast extends from the surface up through 500 mb. This feature has been responsible for the relative lack of showers and t-storms across the eastern Carolinas over the past few days. Continued southerly flow around the high should maintain high surface dewpoints but significantly drier conditions aloft due to subsidence within the ridge. Dry air mainly between 800-500 mb should act to limit the number of showers and storms today, and I'm forecasting only isolated convection today across Georgetown and Williamsburg counties plus the area west of I-95 where moisture depth is forecast to be greatest. Similar to yesterday, today's highs are forecast to reach 92-94 inland with upper 80s along the beaches where onshore winds will exist even prior to today's seabreeze development. GFS and NAM MOS has shown a 1-3 degree warm bias at all local stations over the past few days with the exception of ILM and CPC where a cool bias exists. Combined with dewpoints in the mid 70s, heat index values will exceed 100 degrees in many locations this afternoon. Precip chances will begin to increase along the coast late tonight into Sunday morning as a landbreeze front pushes offshore and ignites scattered convection. The best precip chances will then shift inland Sunday afternoon ahead of a front approaching from the north. Forecast PoPs range from 40 percent on the coast to around 60 percent on the I-95 corridor. This increase in moisture is not directly associated with Tropical Depression Fred. && .SHORT TERM /SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT/... Rain chances increase on Sunday though the degree to which is a bit uncertain between various models. Do prefer the less widespread solutions as deeper layer forcing may not arrive until Monday morning-not to mention some weak subsidence ahead of Fred. Sunday night appears to offer perhaps a few surface-based streamer of convergence that should touch off a few showers. As tropical moisture continues to stream ashore on Monday, again benefiting from some mid level PVA. There is no real signal for heavy rain just yet...but a weak tropical warm-frontal feature should change that Monday night and WPC continues to highlight a marginal risk in their ERO. && .LONG TERM /TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY/... With Fred looking a little slower its closest approach to the area (some 470 miles to our west) Tuesday now might be the wettest day of the forecast cycle. Also a good signal for heavy rain may be taking shape as a wedge of high pressure noses down east of the Appalachians serving as a surface for the tropical moisture to overrun. The wedge remains but may weaken on Wednesday and Fred's moisture core will be in KY so while another wet day the heavy rain threat may abate. We seem to exit the tropical moisture stream Thursday and Friday but upper level disturbances crossing the area from the W and NW will keep rain chances and coverage elevated above normal while highs return to it. && .AVIATION /13Z SATURDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY/... High pressure will give us one more nearly rain free forecast. Some convection may drift into the extreme western portion of the CWA this evening, but fair weather CU in general. Some light fog possible toward sunrise on Sunday. Extended Outlook...Tropical moisture and a stalled front will lead to wet conditions with periods of MVFR ceilings/vsby Sunday through Wednesday. Isolated IFR conditions in night- time stratus and occasional thunderstorms are also possible during this period. && .MARINE... Through Sunday...High pressure centered a few hundred miles off the North Carolina coast will maintain a light southerly wind across the coastal waters today through Sunday, augmented by the seabreeze both afternoons. Speeds should remain below 15 knots through the period. While mainly dry conditions are expected today, the chances of showers or thunderstorms will grow late tonight into Sunday morning as a landbreeze pushes off the beaches. Sea heights currently measured around 2 feet at area buoys should grow to 2-3 feet this afternoon through Sunday mainly in an 8-second southeast swell. Sunday night through Tuesday...Light SE winds through most of if not the entire period as high pressure is a bit shifted east of its normal Bermuda position. Seas generally 2-3 ft as a corridor of 3-4 ft seas remains channeled to our south. As the gradient tightening assoc with Fred occurs Tuesday a few of those 4ft seas may affect the outer portions of the coastal zones. Spectral wave bulletins do support the 6 second 4 footers along with the 8 sec SE swell. && .ILM WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SC...None. NC...None. MARINE...None. && SYNOPSIS...ILM UPDATE...SRP NEAR TERM...TRA SHORT TERM...MBB LONG TERM...MBB AVIATION...43 MARINE...ILM
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Wilmington NC 334 AM EDT Sat Aug 14 2021 AMZ250-252-254-256-NCZ106-108-110-SCZ039-054>056-150745- 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-Coastal Pender-Coastal New Hanover-Coastal Brunswick- Williamsburg-Coastal Horry-Inland Georgetown-Coastal Georgetown- 334 AM EDT Sat Aug 14 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for the adjacent Coastal Waters, southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. NCZ087-096-099-105-107-109-SCZ017-023-024-032-033-058-059-150745- Robeson-Bladen-Columbus-Inland Pender-Inland New Hanover- Inland Brunswick-Marlboro-Darlington-Dillon-Florence-Marion- Central Horry-Northern Horry- 334 AM EDT Sat Aug 14 2021 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina. .DAY ONE...Today and tonight. Heat index values this afternoon will reach 100 to 104 degrees. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not expected at this time. 9
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Moderate rip current activity led to 14 rip current rescues in total across New Hanover county beaches during the day. There were 8 at Wrightsville Beach, 3 at Carolina Beach, and 3 at Kure Beach.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Carolina in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, August 2021
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: 975602.