Hurricane Florence: Rainfall and Flooding
Flooding does not depend on the strength of the storm, but it is related to the forward motion, or speed, of the storm. Slow moving tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes can produce significant amounts of heavy rain that can lead to flooding. This flooding can be hundreds of miles away from the center of the storm and is often caused by inland flooding. These slow-moving storms can produce more than 20” of rain over a couple of days. Even after the winds have subsided, the flooding potential from storms can remain for several days. Nearly 60% of the deaths due to hurricane flooding have been from drownings related to inland heavy rain events.
Here are some of the rainfall totals from Hurricane Florence across several locations in the Southeast U.S.:
- Elizabethtown, NC - 35.93”
- Lumberton, NC - 35.71”
- Wilmington, NC - 31.32”
- Loris, SC - 23.74”
- Cheraw, SC - 22.81”
- Chesterfield, SC - 17.11”
- Mullins, SC - 16.07”
