WEATHER

Tropical system heads this way

Unnamed storm could bring 2-4 inches of rain Saturday into Sunday

Hunter Ingram
hunter.ingram@starnewsonline.com

WILMINGTON – Just as chilly weather finally makes its arrival in Southeastern North Carolina, a tropical system is set to bring some wind and much-needed rain this weekend.

On Friday, the National Weather Service’s Wilmington office was keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Nestor, a fast-moving system currently in the Gulf of Mexico with a path to drive up the East Coast this weekend.

Victoria Oliva, a meteorologist with the NWS Wilmington office, said our region will begin to see impacts Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning. Right now, the forecast is 2-4 inches of rain, with isolated chances of up to 5 inches through Sunday.

The storm also has the potential for 25-30 mph gusts and an isolated tornado threat.

Although a late-season storm is never welcome news, Oliva said the region is in need of all the rain it can get.

“We are almost 11 inches below normal in rainfall for the year,” she said. “It is definitely needed. But because of the dry conditions, we are not expecting widespread flooding. There could be some minor street flooding depending on how fast the rain falls.”

The region was brought out of drought conditions in September by the rain gained from Hurricane Dorian – but only barely.

“Since Dorian, we have been just borderline out of a drought,” she Oliva said.

The tropical system is an incredibly fast-moving storm, pacing 22 mph as of 2 p.m. Friday. That means it will be well out of the region by Sunday afternoon. However, Oliva said the clouds will likely stick around through the end of the weekend.

Reporter Hunter Ingram can be reached at 910-343-2327 or Hunter.Ingram@StarNewsOnline.com.