Reports from the March 6-7, 2014 Coastal Storm

The tide and weather plot to the right is from Wrightsville Beach, NC on March 6 and 7, 2014, and shows the effects of the storm at this location.  Tides began rising above normal a couple days ahead of the storm from persistent northeast winds.  As winds increased during the afternoon and evening hours of March 6th the tidal departure (storm surge) began to build.  At its peak the storm surge reached over 2.5 feet and produced a total water level of 6.58 feet above the mean lower low water (MLLW) level.  For Wrightsville Beach flood stage is 6.00 feet MLLW.  Significant beach erosion occurred during this high tide due to large, pounding surf on top of the actual water level itself. 

Local Wilmington photojournalist and storm investigator Mark Sudduth captured this video from the north end of Wrightsville Beach near the Shell Island Resort very near the time of high tide:

The information below was collected from a variety of data sources and summarizes the most significant impacts from this late winter coastal storm.

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
SPOTTER REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
1020 AM EST FRI MAR 07 2014

THE FOLLOWING ARE UNOFFICIAL 24 HOUR RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS AND PEAK
WIND GUSTS FROM THE ONGOING STORM. THIS SUMMARY WAS COMPILED USING
DATA FROM ASOS/AWOS SITES...MESONET STATIONS...CO-OP AND COCORAHS
OBSERVERS. THE RAINFALL TOTALS HERE DO NOT REFLECT STORM TOTAL
PRECIPITATION AS RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL OVER OUR FORECAST AREA. THIS
SUMMARY IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON OUR HOME PAGE AT WEATHER.GOV/ILM

**********************24 HOUR RAINFALL**********************

LOCATION              24 HOUR     TIME/DATE   COMMENTS
                     RAINFALL           OF
                     /INCHES/   MEASUREMENT

NORTH CAROLINA

...BLADEN COUNTY...
   ELIZABETHTOWN 5 WNW   1.47   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   BLADENBORO 2 NNW      1.37   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   GARLAND 11 W          1.30   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   ELIZABETHTOWN 6 NW    1.02   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...BRUNSWICK COUNTY...
   WINNABOW 4 SE         2.46   730 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LELAND 2 SW           2.40   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LELAND 6 WSW          2.36   600 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SOUTHPORT 6 WNW       2.36   900 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SOUTHPORT 1 NE        2.28   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SOUTHPORT 6 W         2.22   600 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SUNSET BEACH 3 NNE    1.87   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SUNSET BEACH 3 N      1.67   645 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SUNSET BEACH 2 WNW    1.63   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   CALABASH 1 NNW        1.51   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...COLUMBUS COUNTY...
   LAKE WACCAMAW 4 SE    1.56   715 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   EVERGREEN 3 NE        1.50   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   FAIR BLUFF 1 ESE      1.45   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   CHADBOURN 1 NNW       1.43   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WHITEVILLE 6 NNW      1.28   725 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LAKE WACCAMAW 3 SSW   1.20   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...NEW HANOVER COUNTY...
   KURE BEACH 2 SSW      2.22   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON 2 SE       2.15   900 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON 4 SSE      2.06   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON 4 SE       2.04   630 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON 3 S        1.95   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON 6 SSE      1.91   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   WILMINGTON            1.85   700 AM  3/07  ASOS
   WILMINGTON 8 ENE      1.31   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...PENDER COUNTY...
   CASTLE HAYNE 2 NNW    1.86   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   HAMPSTEAD  NW         1.69   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SURF CITY 2 NNW       1.45   900 AM  3/07  CO-OP OBSERVER

...ROBESON COUNTY...
   ST. PAULS 6 ESE       1.39   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LUMBER RIVER SP       1.35   800 AM  3/07  CO-OP OBSERVER
   LUMBERTON             1.20   700 AM  3/07  ASOS
   LUMBERTON 3 ESE       1.11   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

SOUTH CAROLINA

...DARLINGTON COUNTY...
   HARTSVILLE 2 W        1.83   730 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   HARTSVILLE 5 WSW      1.63   500 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   HARTSVILLE 2 NE       1.62   700 AM  3/07  CO-OP OBSERVER

...DILLON COUNTY...
   DILLON 4 NW           1.63   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...FLORENCE COUNTY...
   FLORENCE 5 W          2.10   730 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LAKE CITY 1 E         1.22   600 AM  3/07  CO-OP OBSERVER

...GEORGETOWN COUNTY...
   PAWLEYS ISLAND 3 W    1.80   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   PAWLEYS ISLAND 6 NNE  1.61   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   PAWLEYS ISLAND 3 N    1.60   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MURRELLS INLET 1 NNE  1.46   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   GEORGETOWN 5 NNE      1.43   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   PAWLEY`S ISLAND 1 WN  1.42   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...HORRY COUNTY...
   MYRTLE BEACH 8 WNW    1.75   600 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MYRTLE BEACH 7 NNW    1.70   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LORIS 3 WSW           1.69   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MYRTLE BEACH 5 WNW    1.69   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MURRELLS INLET 4 N    1.58   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SURFSIDE BEACH 1 NNW  1.52   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MURRELLS INLET 2 N    1.52   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   MYRTLE BEACH 5 SW     1.49   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SURFSIDE BEACH  S     1.46   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   CONWAY 9 NNE          1.37   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   NORTH MYRTLE BEACH    1.28   700 AM  3/07  ASOS
   MYRTLE BEACH 5 NNW    1.25   845 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   SURFSIDE BEACH 1 NE   1.24   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   LORIS 1 ENE           1.11   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...MARION COUNTY...
   MULLINS 1 SSE         1.71   700 AM  3/07  CO-OP OBSERVER

...MARLBORO COUNTY...
   BENNETTSVILLE 1 SE    1.86   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   BENNETTSVILLE 4 SE    1.82   700 AM  3/07  COCORAHS

...WILLIAMSBURG COUNTY...
   KINGSTREE 8 NW        1.68   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS
   KINGSTREE 10 NW       1.63   800 AM  3/07  COCORAHS


***********************PEAK WIND GUST***********************

LOCATION             MAX WIND     TIME/DATE   COMMENTS
                        GUST            OF
                         MPH    MEASUREMENT

NORTH CAROLINA

...AMZ250...
   WRIGHTSVILLE 5 SE       51   200 AM  3/07  BUOY

...AMZ270...
   FRYING PAN SHOALS BU    54  1250 AM  3/07  BUOY

...BLADEN COUNTY...
   ELIZABETHTOWN 4 NNE     32   418 AM  3/07  RAWS

...BRUNSWICK COUNTY...
   OCEAN CREST PIER        55   432 AM  3/07  BUOY
   SOUTHPORT 1 SSE         55   340 AM  3/07  MESONET
   SOUTHPORT               46   435 AM  3/07  AWOS
   BALD HEAD ISLAND 1 W    42   256 AM  3/07  MESONET
   CASWELL BEACH 5 NNW     41   200 AM  3/07  MESONET
   SUPPLY NATURE CONSER    38   118 AM  3/07  RAWS

...COLUMBUS COUNTY...
   WHITEVILLE 1 WNW        44   118 AM  3/07  RAWS
   COLUMBUS CTY ARPT       40  1235 AM  3/07  AWOS

...NEW HANOVER COUNTY...
   MASONBORO 1 SE          64   345 AM  3/07  MESONET
   KURE BEACH              61   145 AM  3/07  TRAINED SPOTTER
   JOHNNY MERCER PIER      59   424 AM  3/07  NOS
   WILMINGTON              47   434 AM  3/07  ASOS
   WILMINGTON 3 WSW        36   440 AM  3/07  MESONET

...PENDER COUNTY...
   TOPSAIL BEACH 1 SW      43   451 AM  3/07  MESONET
   HAMPSTEAD 2 N           43   610 AM  3/07  MESONET

...ROBESON COUNTY...
   LUMBERTON               48  1119 PM  3/06  ASOS

SOUTH CAROLINA

...DARLINGTON COUNTY...
   HARTSVILLE              33   655 PM  3/06  AWOS
   DARLINGTON              30   735 PM  3/06  AWOS

...FLORENCE COUNTY...
   FLORENCE                37   858 PM  3/06  ASOS

...GEORGETOWN COUNTY...
   NORTH INLET WINYAH B    36  1045 PM  3/06  NERR

...HORRY COUNTY...
   NORTH MYRTLE BEACH      50  1151 PM  3/06  ASOS
   LITTLE RIVER 1 N        45  1153 PM  3/06  MESONET
   MYRTLE BEACH 2 WSW      38  1155 PM  3/06  ASOS

...MARION COUNTY...
   MARION                  34   735 PM  3/06  AWOS

...MARLBORO COUNTY...
   MARLBORO CNTY JTPT      32   815 PM  3/06  AWOS

$$

REINHART