All eyes are on two things today. The first is the East Carolina-UNC football.
I have found that much of coastal North Carolina is just as enamored with the Pirates as people in the Roanoke valley are with the Hokies.
The second thing being watched is the weather forecast. Subtropical Storm Gabrielle is certainly being watched by people in the area.
This morning the temperatures are in the mid to upper sixties, the wind is calm, and there isn't a cloud in the sky.
I am on the shores of the White Oak River not far from Cape Carteret near the beaches of Emerald Isle.
It is what most people would consider perfect early September weather. While we could use some rain, we aren't by any means desperate for rain like the Roanoke area or inland North Carolina where many of the lakes are down several feet.
If we are lucky we will get the predicted rainfall and winds and go about our business. Weatherunderground is reporting the following.
...Storm surge and storm tide impacts...
as winds increase starting later this afternoon...water levels will
begin to increase along the coast. In addition...astronomical tides
will be higher than normal through Sunday. A storm surge of 2 to 3
feet can be expected along coastal sections. The Pamlico and Neuse
rivers will have storm surges of 4 feet....Wind impacts...
winds will start to increase along the coast on Sunday morning...and
are expected to reach tropical storm strength along the coastal
sections Sunday afternoon. Maximum winds are expected to reach 45 to 55 mph....Flooding impacts...
two to four inches of rain is expected across eastern North Carolina
with isolated amounts of 6 inches possible. Flooding of low lying
and poor drainage areas can be expected.
We had that much rain in overnight thunderstorms a couple of weeks ago. Last winter during a Nor'easter I saw winds higher than that.
If we can get through the storm with nothing worse than this initial forecast we will be lucky. At this point I am cautiously optimistic, but I am paying attention to the forecasts when they are updated.
I will be reporting on conditions throughout the weekend.
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