
Tropical Storm Chantal highlights growing threat of quickly forming tropical weather
Why it matters: That proved to be an especially damaging combination — breaking dams in Moore County, flooding roads, homes and businesses in Chapel Hill, killing at least one person in Chatham County and sending the Haw River to record crests.
It's also one that North Carolina residents will need to watch out for more frequently.
What they're saying: "The pattern and the way [Chantal] approached us ought to be setting off the alarm bells," Corey Davis, an assistant state climatologist for the State Climate Office, told Axios.
With this storm and many of the most damaging ones in recent North Carolina history, he added, it's been all about excessive rain and rather than wind speeds.
"And we know that with climate change and warming [oceans] storms are able to hold more moisture, and they're going to drop that moisture as heavier rainfall as it gets inland," he said.
Last fall, Hurricane Helene moved quickly after making landfall but brought record rainfall.
Driving the news: Davis said North Carolina is increasingly witnessing tropical storms that have the characteristics of severe thunderstorms, with small cells within the storms dropping excessive rain in some places but not others.
On Sunday, just a few miles could make a few difference, with parts of Orange County seeing more than seven inches of rain in a 12-hour period, while parts of Durham, only a short drive away, got two to three inches.
In that way, the storm was similar to last year's Potential Tropical Cyclone 8, which dropped 20 inches on Carolina Beach, and Tropical Storm Debby, which dumped large amounts of rain across parts of southeastern North Carolina.
The latest: Thousands of customers were still without power as of Monday afternoon, according to Duke Energy.
Crews on Monday were still searching for two kayakers who went missing on Jordan Lake Sunday.
Over 100 roads were closed across North Carolina due to Chantal, WRAL reported.
Between the lines: It's shaping up to be an especially busy hurricane season in the Atlantic, with Chantal becoming the third named storm.
NOAA is forecasting an above-normal season, with 13-19 named storms predicted, Axios previously reported.
"This is really pretty early in the season to get our third named storm," Davis said. "We're still over two months away from the peak of the season, so I think what this tells us is there's more where this came from."
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
National Hurricane Center watching another potential storm off Southeast coast
Signals strung out across the Atlantic Ocean indicate the 2025 hurricane season may be kicking into a more active gear in the days ahead, but a disturbance a little closer to the U.S. has drawn the attention of the National Hurricane Center. In a July 22 update, the hurricane center flagged a low pressure area off Northeast Florida that showed some chance of developing after it crosses over Florida into the Gulf of America, renamed from the Gulf of Mexico, later in the week. The system is forecast to move in a west-southwestward direction into the north-central Gulf where it may encounter conditions that could allow for some slow development if it remained far enough from shore, according to a hurricane center update from Philippe Papin, a hurricane specialist. Papin's forecast put the chances of development at only 10% over seven days, predicting the system is likely to move inland by the weekend. Either way it's likely to mean a few more days of heavy rain along the northern Gulf Coast, forecasters say. "Expect rain and storm chances to increase towards the end of the week as this disturbance moves in, though it's too early to say much with certainty beyond that," the National Weather Service office in Houston posted on its social media. In Lake Charles, Louisiana, the weather service noted the amount of moisture in the air is expected to surge to the maximum amount possible by the afternoon of July 24. Deja vu disturbance? If the hurricane center's tropical outlook map looks familiar, that's because a similar scenario has played out twice in recent weeks. On July 5, Tropical Storm Chantal formed from a low pressure area off the southeastern United States. Chantal went on to cause flooding in parts of North Carolina, and was blamed for at least six deaths. Then on July 12, the hurricane center started watching another potential low pressure area off the southeastern coast, which then slogged across the Florida peninsula with heavy rain on July 15 and then along the state's Panhandle. It remained disorganized and moved over southeastern Louisiana on July 17. Chantal was a little earlier than normal for the third named storm of the season, according to Phil Klotzbach, a research scientist and co-author of a seasonal outlook from Colorado State University. On average the third named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season forms on August 3. After all the seasonal outlooks predicting a busy season, it may seem like the 2025 season is off to a slow start, but hurricane experts don't expect things to stay quiet. Ocean temperatures are warming more than normally expected in an area of the Atlantic called the "main development region," called that because of its propensity to crank out some of the strongest storms, hurricane specialist Michael Lowry wrote in a July 22 post on his Substack blog. Sea surface temperatures have risen sharply in the region in July. Warmer seas can help fuel any potential storm systems that form in the region. How do hurricanes form? An inside look at the birth and power of ferocious storms Lowry credits the current warming in the Atlantic to a weakening of the Bermuda High, a pattern of high pressure that expands and shrinks over the western Atlantic and heavily influences hurricane movement. "After some of the strongest trade winds on record to start the year, and the strongest June trade winds since 1990," trade winds in July have been the weakest since at least 1979, wrote Lowry, a hurricane center veteran and now a specialist at WPLG 10 in Miami. Other signals including a periodic oscillation over the ocean that influences hurricane activity and a shift in the monsoon winds in North Africa also signal a potential increase in activity. Dinah Voyles Pulver covers climate change and the environment for USA TODAY. She's written about hurricanes, tornadoes and violent weather for more than 30 years. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: A potential tropical depression could bring more rain to Gulf Coast


Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Flash flood warnings trending up in Georgia
Flash floods are becoming increasingly common in Georgia — a phenomenon consistent with climate change. The big picture: Nationally, flash flood warnings have set a new record this year, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. State of play: This past summer, sudden heavy rains have overwhelmed Atlanta's antiquated sewer infrastructure, damaged people's homes and property and flooded the interstate system. By the numbers: Warnings have been trending up since the mid-2010s, with 27 so far this year from Peachtree City's National Weather Service office, according to a tracker at Iowa State University's Iowa Environmental Mesonet. Context: Climate change"is supercharging the water cycle," sparking heavier precipitation extremes and related flood risks, according to Climate Central, a climate research group. Flashback: In 2003, a record number of warnings was issued in a single year thanks to severe storms in Middle Georgia. Over five days in May, officials counted "124 thunderstorm wind, 95 hail, 51 flash flood, 22 lightning, and 5 heavy rain events," according to a 2003 annual report (PDF).


Axios
a day ago
- Axios
Heat index could hit 110°F in Richmond this weekend
We hope Richmonders enjoyed this last week of (comparatively) mild temperatures amid the sweltering summer because it's over: Dangerously high heat is back, starting Friday. Why it matters: Heat warnings and advisories are in effect for metro Richmond through Wednesday, according to data from the National Weather Service. The big picture: Another heat dome is bringing the dangerous levels of heat and humidity that the Midwest has been experiencing this week to the East Coast, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. The main driver is hot, moist air being drawn up from the Atlantic and trapped by a high pressure ridge. Zoom in: The temperature in Richmond will be in the high 90s for the next few days, starting Friday, and the heat index will be well over 100°F, per the National Weather Service Wakefield office. Saturday and Sunday will be especially brutal with heat indices reaching 109°F and 110°F, respectively. High humidity, which Richmonders will feel acutely this weekend, is especially dangerous, as Axios' Tina Reed and Natalie Daher recently reported, disrupting our bodies' ability to regulate temperatures. Threat level: Starting Saturday, the hottest weather in the country will "be found in Virginia and the Carolinas," per the Washington Post. Metro Richmond is under a "major" risk for heat-related issues for anyone without proper hydration or adequate cooling through Wednesday, per the NWS HeatRisk index. Long-duration heat waves can be particularly serious events, with warm evenings offering less of a reprieve and extreme heat having a cumulative effect on our health. During these major risk periods, locals should stay hydrated and in air-conditioned spaces and consider canceling outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day, the NWS advises.