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Wrightsville Beach
Monday, March 18, 2024

System to bring rain, wind and high surf to the beach

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The first signs of an approaching low pressure system were seen in the ocean Thursday morning as 15 mph northeast winds kicked up chest-high, choppy waves along Wrightsville Beach.

During a 1 p.m. Thursday conference call, science officer Reid Hawkins said New Hanover and the surrounding counties would likely see an increase in rain and wind Friday. He said the storm is meandering so its exact course is hard to predict, but because it’s moving so slowly, rough conditions—wind gusts of 20 to 30 mph and periods of heavy rain—will likely continue through Saturday night.

During a Thursday morning phone interview, meteorologist Steve Pfaff said the storm formed when an upper level disturbance over eastern Florida and the Bahamas helped generate an area of low pressure Wednesday.

While hurricane season does not officially start until June 1, he said the ocean temperature in some spots is just warm enough right now to cause the storm to gain tropical characteristics as it moves north. If the system becomes tropical, it will be called Ana.

“Sometimes we can get tropical systems forming before the hurricane season,” Pfaff said. “A couple years ago we had two tropical storms in May, but the fortunate thing is they typically don’t have a lot of supporting factors to intensify them that much.”

This storm, Pfaff said, appears to be more of a hybrid of a tropical system a nor’easter. Tropical systems, Hawkins said, have stronger winds at the center, whereas in a subtropical system the strong winds extend up to 100 miles outward.

Regardless of whether the storm is tropical or subtropical, Pfaff said, the impact will be about the same. The beaches will experience rough seas, strong rip currents, some ocean overwash and beach erosion. Tornados and flooding from heavy rainfall become more of a concern, he said, if the storm tracks further south and west.

Keep checking this developing story for photos and updates.

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