WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Been a bumpy week across the Cape Fear Region! As expected, Tropical Storm Debby brought a handful of tornadoes and funnel clouds, peak gusts in the 40s and 50s mph, and 8 to 14 inches of rain with locally higher totals. Wilmington, for example, officially recorded 10.78 inches of rain and a top gust of 51 mph. Over the weekend and into next week, your First Alert Weather Team will be monitoring minor to moderate river flooding on area rivers; these events may be locally disruptive but are not expected to rival those associated with hurricanes in recent memory.
Your First Alert Forecast returns to more typical August fare for through the weekend. Yes, unfortunately, that includes scattered clusters of flooding rain and storms as the atmosphere hosts some frontal energy and, of course, there is plenty of leftover moisture around. Apart from any storm cells, enjoy a mix of clouds, sunshine, humid breezes, daily highs in the 80s to around 90, and overnight temperatures in the 70s. An elevated rip current risk will remain likely for some of the time, too; also be aware of localized beach closures for bacteria associated with storm water runoff also.
Elsewhere in the tropics, a disturbance halfway between Africa and the Caribbean islands will be one to watch next week. It enjoys solid development odds from the National Hurricane Center and many computer models seem to like its chances, too. Most of these models suggest this item will eventually curve away from North America, but this remains to be seen, and this is a time of year for constant vigilance. So, thanks for staying with your First Alert Weather Team on TV, online, on your WECT Weather App, and with your comprehensive Hurricane Season guide at wect.com/hurricane.
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