{"id":29838,"date":"2018-09-17T13:59:00","date_gmt":"2018-09-17T13:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/?p=29838"},"modified":"2018-09-20T19:54:56","modified_gmt":"2018-09-20T19:54:56","slug":"florence-produces-record-rainfall-in-north-carolina-and-south-carolina","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cimss.ssec.wisc.edu\/satellite-blog\/archives\/29838","title":{"rendered":"Florence produces record rainfall in North Carolina and South Carolina"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m)<\/em> images, with hourly precipitation type symbols plotted in yellow and SPC storm reports plotted in cyan, 13-17 September [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>After Hurricane Florence<\/strong><\/a> made landfall in North Carolina during the morning hours on 14 September<\/strong><\/a>, it moved very slowly (at times only 2-3 mph) southwestward into South Carolina during 15-16 September (surface analyses<\/strong><\/a>). Prolonged heavy rainfall resulted (WPC summary<\/strong><\/a>), with new state records (see below)<\/em> for precipitation from a tropical cyclone being set in North Carolina (35.93 inches) and South Carolina (23.63 inches). GOES-16 (GOES-East)<\/em> “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m<\/strong><\/a>) images every 5 minutes during the 4-day period of 13-16 September (above)<\/strong><\/em> showed the evolution of banding and the development of new convection that produced the heavy rainfall — widespread flooding along with strong winds caused power outages across portions of the 2 states (NC<\/strong><\/a> | SC<\/strong><\/a>), and closed sections of Interstates 95 and 40. Note that the power outages caused extended dropouts of the plotted surface reports — especially in eastern North Carolina; reports were missing when the gray 4-letter station identifiers disappeared — even though many of those sites were likely experiencing heavy rainfall during those dropout times.<\/p>\n

Florence also spawned a few tornadoes on 14<\/a><\/strong>, 15<\/a><\/strong> and 16 September<\/a><\/strong> — SPC storm reports are plotted in cyan on the GOES-16 Infrared images.<\/p>\n

Hourly images of the MIMIC Total Precipitable Water<\/strong><\/a> product (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed tropical moisture associated with Florence as it moved inland during the 13-17 September period.<\/p>\n

\"MIMIC<\/a>

MIMIC Total Precipitable Water product, 13-17 September [click to play animation | MP4<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/div>Animations of plots of rawinsonde data from the coastal sites of Newport\/Morehead City, North Carolina and Charleston, South Carolina (below)<\/strong><\/em> revealed the increase in deep tropical moisture from 13-16 September — Total Precipitable Water values were as high as 68.6 mm (2.70 inches)<\/em> at Newport and 67.8 mm (2.67 inches)<\/em> at Charleston.<\/p>\n

\"Daily<\/a>

Daily plots of rawinsonde data from Newport\/Morehead City, North Carolina [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>

\"Daily<\/a>

Daily plots of rawinsonde data from Charleston, South Carolina [click to enlarge]<\/p><\/div>As the remnants of Florence moved from Kentucky to West Virginia during the daylight hours of 17 September, numerous tornadoes occurred in central Virginia (SPC storm reports<\/strong><\/a> | NWS Wakefield summary<\/strong><\/a>). 1-minute GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m) and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m) images (below)<\/strong><\/em> showed the development of thunderstorms which produced these tornadoes.<\/p>\n

\"GOES-16<\/a>

GOES-16 “Red” Visible (0.64 \u00b5m, left)<\/em> and “Clean” Infrared Window (10.3 \u00b5m, right)<\/em> images, with plots of SPC storm reports [click to play MP4 animation]<\/p><\/div>

<\/p>\n
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Today, it’s two updates. After some chatter with the @CoCoRaHS<\/a> observer, we’ve accepted the reading. There was uncertainty in house about the reading. Just trying to be careful. pic.twitter.com\/7bF76eeGLQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 David Roth (@DRmetwatch) September 17, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n