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Wet but Not Wild: Nor'easter headed for area is nothing to write home about, forecaster says, but rain is welcome
Journal Photo by David Rolfe
Strong winds shook the trees into a blur behind a chain sculpture at Wake Forest University. The three-figure sculpture, titled Link, is by Will Garin.
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Published: September 26, 2008
A blustery nor'easter is expected to bring up to 2 inches of rain to Northwest North Carolina, forecasters say.
The storm -- which brought winds, clouds and a little rain to the Triad yesterday -- was expected to come ashore somewhere between Wilmington and Myrtle Beach early today and then move through Charlotte, said Barrett Smith, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Raleigh. It may bring an inch or two of rain to Forsyth and Guilford counties, with wind gusts of up to 35 mph.
Farther west toward the mountains, the storm may bring a half-inch to an inch of rain. Winds are expected to increase to 15 to 25 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph, forecasters said.
Bob Smerbeck, a senior meteorologist for Accuweather, said that rain is expected to taper off by late afternoon, but tonight's football games could be affected.
Chilly weather is expected to accompany the storm, with a high temperature forecast to be about 60 today. Saturday's high is expected to be near 70, with a high of about 80 on Sunday. Clouds will linger over the weekend, and sunshine will return Monday, forecasters say.
The storm was expected to bring high surf and dangerous rip currents along big chunks of the East Coast over the next few days, although forecasters said that the storm isn't unusual for a nor'easter.
"It really isn't anything to write home about," said forecaster Rick Neuherz at the National Weather Service bureau in Wilmington.
The region is still in need of rain. Recent storms have helped lift a few counties in central North Carolina out of the drought, but a state water official says that nearly half the state's counties are still suffering from dry conditions.
The U.S. Drought Monitor showed 14 counties in North Carolina without any drought this week, but 86 counties ranged from abnormally dry to extreme drought.
Woody Yonts, the chairman of the state Drought Management Advisory Council, said that the short-term effects of rains have helped somewhat, with the driest counties being in the western and northeastern parts of the state.
■ John Hinton can be reached at 727-7299 or at jhinton@wsjournal.com.
■ The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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