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From Chris Newkirk, Beaufort County Emergency Services:

Our office is monitoring the potential impacts that Hurricane Helene could bring to Eastern NC as we end the work week. While most of the hazards associated with this storm are expected to remain west of us, there will be a potential for the following:

Elevated River Levels

• We are forecasted to receive East, SE and South winds through mid-morning on Saturday. These wind conditions will likely keep many of our county’s waterways higher than normal. As such, a Coastal Flood Advisory has been issued for Beaufort County through 6pm tomorrow, with most areas expected to experience 1 foot of inundation above ground level in low-lying areas and tidal waterways.
• Our highest winds are forecasted to occur during the daytime hours on Friday; Sustained SE winds between 10 and 15 mph, with gust of 15 to 20.
• Remember, various river gauges, like the one pictured below for Belhaven, can be monitored using the following links: https://fiman.nc.gov/ and https://water.noaa.gov/wfo/mhx

 

Risk of Severe Thunderstorms & Tornados

• There will be a potential for severe thunderstorms, capable of producing tornados during the day on Friday as Helene’s outer rain bands pass through our area.

Please see the attached briefing and email below from the National Weather Service for more information. We will provide additional updates If there are changes to our forecasted conditions.

We encourage everyone to monitor local media outlets for any watches and / or warnings that may be issued for our area. (Especially during the daytime hours on Friday.)

As always, thank you all for what you do to keep Beaufort County informed, prepared and safe.

From National Weather Service, Morehead City:

Attached is our latest briefing on Hurricane Helene. Our biggest risks are a tornado threat Friday and strong winds over the coastal waters.

The forecast track has not changed and would keep the MOST significant impacts to our west. This will be a LARGE storm and we will experience at least some impacts in Eastern North Carolina.  As always continue to follow for updates. Our next briefing will be sent by noon Thursday.

 
Updated water level forecasts: https://water.noaa.gov/wfo/mhx

Latest Briefing: https://www.weather.gov/media/mhx/LatestBriefing.pdf

Local Tropical Page: https://www.weather.gov/mhx/tropical

NWS Morehead City Briefing #4 – Hurricane Helene