System brings rain, threat of flooding
Published 5:47 pm Tuesday, December 29, 2015
Already swollen creeks and streams in Beaufort County and other parts of eastern North Carolina face a strong possibility of impending or continued flooding, according to the National Weather Service office in Newport.
An extremely moist and warm — warm enough to set record highs for this time of the year in the region — air mass is expected to move through the region during the next several days, bringing the threat of heavy rain and localized flooding, especially in low-lying areas, according to a hazardous-weather outlook issued by the NWS’s Newport office Tuesday. Scattered to isolated thunderstorms are expected to accompany the rain, with up to an inch of rain expected and localized amounts of two inches or more in thunderstorms.
The chance of rain, according to the NWS, is 80 percent today, 100 percent tonight, 70 percent Thursday, 50 percent Thursday night and 40 percent New Year’s Day.
The flood stage for the Pamlico River at Washington is 4.5 feet, according NWS data. At 3 p.m. Tuesday, the river was at 1.34 feet above normal, according to NWS information (based on readings taken at a U.S. Geological Survey gauge in the river at Washington). Shortly after 1 p.m. Monday, the river was at 2.34 feet above normal.
The gauge showed a slow but steady increase in the river level throughout Tuesday morning and afternoon.
The river crested at 8.14 feet on Sept. 16, 1999, as a result of Hurricane Floyd passing over the area. The next-highest crest of 7.53 feet happened Aug. 27, 2011, when Hurricane Irene came through the region. The most recent notable crest of 4.5 feet occurred Oct. 5 of this year, after a major storm system off the East Coast dumped heavy rainfall in the Carolinas and other places.
The area along the Tar River (which becomes the Pamlico River at Washington) from Rocky Mount to Greenville is under a flood warning through Saturday evening. That warning could be extended farther down the river to include Washington later in the week. Flood stage at Greenville is 13 feet, and the river was at 14 feet at 9 a.m. Tuesday. NWS forecasters believe the river will crest at 14.7 feet Thursday.
When the Pamlico River reaches 4 feet above normal, that initiates an action stage, according to the NWS’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service.
“We’re going to make sure the streets are clear of debris such as pine straw, which strong winds have blown down, and we’re going to make sure the catch basins are kept clear,” said Washington City Manager Bobby Roberson. “We’ll keep close watch on the river.”
Should flooding occur in the low-lying areas of the city, especially in the Jack’s Creek basin, city officials have said, any floodwater in those areas won’t be able to flow into the river until after it returns to its normal level.
At the city’s docks Tuesday afternoon, strong winds were proving more of a problem than high water. Because of the high winds, dock attendants adjust lines that connected boats to the docks.