Hurricane Sally could drench Western NC as Paulette lurks off coast
Parts of North Carolina could feel some impacts from two hurricanes this week.
Hurricane Sally, which is expected to hit the Gulf Coast, could bring heavy rain to parts of Western North Carolina on Thursday and Friday after it turns inland and tracks toward the Southeast starting Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Meanwhile, Hurricane Paulette is bringing swells to the East Coast of the United States that could “cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.”
Hurricane Sally
Sally was about 165 miles southeast of Biloxi, Mississippi, at 11:30 a.m. CDT Monday and moving west, northwest at 7 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters have issued hurricane watches and warnings and tropical storm watches and warnings for areas along the Gulf Coast.
The system “rapidly” upgraded to a hurricane from a tropical storm Monday morning and is expected to continue strengthening, the hurricane center says.
But the storm is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by the time it reaches North Carolina, its forecasted path shows. Tropical depressions have wind speeds of less than 39 mph.
Areas west of Asheville are included in the storm’s potential track area.
Sally is expected to dump between 6 and 12 inches of rain on parts of Mississippi and Alabama with “further heavy rain” expected in Western North Carolina, the hurricane center says.
“Flash, urban and minor river flooding” are possible in some areas, forecasters say.
In Western North Carolina, rain chances will increase “mid to late week as moisture from the remnants of Sally combines with an approaching cold front,” a hazardous weather outlook from the National Weather Service says.
“While confidence remains low regarding the timing and exact track of this system, heavy rainfall and localized flooding are possible, mainly Thursday and Friday,” forecasters say.
To the east, the remnants of the storm could bring rain chances to central North Carolina by Wednesday night and the coast as early as Thursday, according to the NWS.
Hurricane Paulette
The potential impacts of Tropical Storm Sally come as Hurricane Paulette lurks offshore in the Atlantic, bringing hazards to some coastal areas of North Carolina.
Paulette’s current track from the National Hurricane Center shows it staying off the coast.
It’s expected to move away from Bermuda on Monday.
Paulette is producing swells along the East Coast that could cause “life-threatening” surf conditions and rip currents, according to the hurricane center.
Southeastern North Carolina is under a high rip current risk Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
“The resulting waves could run-up along area beaches and reach the dune line resulting in minor beach erosion across vulnerable beaches, especially ones that Isaias affected,” the NWS says.
The weather service also issued a beach hazards statement for other areas of the North Carolina coast, including parts of the Outer Banks.
“We strongly recommend staying out of the water today,” the NWS in Morehead City said on Monday morning.
This story was originally published September 13, 2020 at 1:32 PM with the headline "Hurricane Sally could drench Western NC as Paulette lurks off coast."
