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Severe Weather Watch: Tracking Hurricane Ian

Severe Weather Watch: Tracking Hurricane Ian

Severe Weather Watch: Tracking Hurricane Ian

Weather Update: Ian Forecast for North Carolina as Of Thursday Afternoon

By Brandon Plotnick
Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane again Thursday night, before another landfall in South Carolina.

A lot has changed since our morning weather update on the impacts of Hurricane Ian as the storm makes its way toward South Carolina and North Carolina.

As of 2 p.m., Ian was still a Tropical Storm, but back out in the open waters of the Atlantic Ocean and starting to gain strength again, after leaving a nasty mark on Florida.

The trip into the Atlantic is giving Ian a chance to rebuild a bit, and current projections have it getting back up to hurricane strength, before making landfall somewhere between Charleston and Myrtle Beach in South Carolina.

The latest model runs have that trending northward, which also has direct impacts on us here in the Sandhills. More on that below.

Also of note, in the last few hours, most of the school systems in the region have made Friday a remote day. You can see all the closings and adjustments on our special page here.

As we said earlier, Gov. Cooper has already declared a State of Emergency, so resources could be freed up easier.

“A State of Emergency is needed now so that farmers and those preparing for the storm can more quickly get ready for the heavy rain that is likely to fall in much of our state,” said Governor Cooper. “North Carolinians should stay aware, keep a close eye on the forecast and prepare their emergency supplies.”

In addition, North Carolina’s price gouging law against overcharging in a state of emergency is now in effect statewide.

Here’s a look at what’s going on with Tropical Storm Ian as of 2:15 Thursday afternoon, and his upcoming impact on North Carolina. Keep coming back to this page, as we will update it regularly, before posting a new story Friday morning.

  • Tropical Storm Warning - Flood Watch

    By early afternoon Thursday, the National Weather Service has put in a place a Tropical Storm Warning for most of Central and Southeastern North Carolina. Hurricane Warnings are in place in South Carolina. We are also under a Flood Watch, as excessive rain will be coming into the region.

  • Watch vs. Warning

  • Current Storm Projection

  • Destruction in Florida

    This example of the destruction along the Gulf Coast in Florida is heartbreaking. We’ll have more in a gallery below.

  • Arrival Times

    The speeding up of Ian has made for arrival times of tropical storm force winds earlier as well. Expect more of those late tonight, into the morning. The storm should make landfall again by Friday afternoon, but impacts will be felt long before that.

    National Weather Service wind times

  • Storm Logistics

    The National Hurricane Center issued this as the latest public statement on the storm at 2 p.m.

    At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), the center of Tropical Storm Ian was located near latitude 28.9 North, longitude 80.0 West. Ian is moving toward the north-northeast near 9 mph (15 km/h). A turn toward the north is expected late today, followed by a turn toward the north-northwest with an increase in forward speed Friday night. On the forecast track, Ian will approach the coast of South Carolina on Friday. The center will move farther inland across the Carolinas Friday night and Saturday.

    Maximum sustained winds remain near 70 mph (110 km/h) with higher gusts. Ian is expected to become a hurricane again by this evening and make landfall as a hurricane on Friday, with rapid weakening forecast after landfall.

    Ian is a large cyclone. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 415 miles (665 km) from the center. A WeatherFlow station in New Smyrna Beach recently reported a sustained wind of 69 mph (111 km/h).

    The estimated minimum central pressure is 987 mb (29.15 inches).

  • Rainfall Expectations

    Heavy rainfall is expected, with upwards of 5 inches in some of our listening area. Flash flooding threats have increased substantially for Friday, instead of Saturday.

  • Fayetteville Impacts

    Even with a landfall in South Carolina, the large rain field for this storm WILL bring impacts to Southeastern North Carolina. This model shows heavy rain throughout South Carolina and North Carolina.

  • Wind Field Projections

  • Power Outage Potential

    Our good friends over at WRAL put together this handy map that shows the potential for power outages in the region.

    https://www.facebook.com/WRALWeather/posts/pfbid02xEhbHTXVxK31q62oXg7esThPtKaTj3R6QWhGVkYqJobjbYmNKFDaAC7MXpqJ88Brl

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