Hurricanes

Tracking the tropics 2023: Your source for hurricane and tropical storm watch updates

The WRAL Severe Weather Center is tracking the tropics to help you and your family be ready for any scenario.

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WRAL Staff

Tracking the tropics 2023 | Your source for hurricane and tropical storm watch updates

Staying ahead of current tropical storms and hurricanes is crucial. Not only do you have to be prepared for any damage that might occur, but you mentally and physically need to be ready for whatever happens next. Staying ahead of the curve means knowing every upcoming storm and how it is tracking.

The WRAL Severe Weather Center is tracking the tropics to help you and your family be ready for any scenario.

Is there anything in the tropics right now?

WRAL meteorologists on Sunday said no new development is expected in the next seven days. Thursday marks the end of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season.

This season had 20 storms overall and 19 named storms, which is the fourth-highest total since 1950.

It was an above-average season thanks to a strong El Niño and record-breaking surface temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean.

This year, Tropical Storm Ophelia was the only storm to make landfall in North Carolina. On Sept. 23, it made landfall at Emerald Isle with wind speeds of 70 mph.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs each year from June 1 to Nov. 30. The most active time is usually September through November, but it's possible to see a hurricane make landfall any time of the year.

North Carolina has never had a category 5 hurricane make landfall. The state's strongest hurricane to make landfall was Hurricane Hazel in 1954, which was a category 4 hurricane.

How to prepare for hurricane season

From late spring through the fall, there is always the chance that a hurricane will form in the Atlantic Ocean and impact North Carolina. While rough surf and overwash is a danger along the coast, hurricanes can bring torrential downpours, inland flooding, downed trees and even tornadoes to the Triangle.
It always pays to be prepared for a storm that can knock out power with a survival kit that includes non-perishable food, cash and plenty of clean, bottled water.

Worst hurricanes in North Carolina history

One of North Carolina's most destructive hurricanes, Hurricane Fran in September 1996, blasted the Triangle with winds at near-hurricane strength. It left a landscape littered without trees in virtually every neighborhood and power outages that lasted for more than a week.
Hurricane Floyd in September 1999 inundated eastern North Carolina, including Rocky Mount, Wilson, Tarboro and Princeville, and put entire communities under water. The storm destroyed more than 8,000 homes and damaged 67,000 more.
In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew skirted the coast but generated devastating flooding across central and eastern North Carolina. The hurricane dumped more than a foot of rain 100 miles inland, swelling streams and rivers to levels above what Hurricane Floyd produced in 1999.
Hurricane Florence, in September 2018, brought a record 8.27-foot storm surge. Over the next three days, it produced up to 30 inches of rainfall over eastern North Carolina. Interstates 95 and 40 were both closed due to flooding, and 42 people died across the state.
Arguably, the most powerful hurricane in NC, Hurricane Hazel in October 1954 caused major flooding and damage as it made landfall. More than 1,000 people were killed, and it caused about $409 million in damage. The massive amount of destruction left by Hurricane Hazel earned it the nickname “the Bulldozer.”

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