North Carolina tops for weather disasters? (Charlotte, Raleigh: hotel, public school, living in)

[dengar]

After Hurricane Andrew, I think I can deal with the weather in NC.

http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_...ane-andrew.jpg

http://vitaminsea.typepad.com/vitami...erial_view.jpg

[NC man]

Originally Posted by dengar

After Hurricane Andrew, I think I can deal with the weather in NC.

http://www.greenpeace.org/raw/image_...ane-andrew.jpg

http://vitaminsea.typepad.com/vitami...erial_view.jpg

I dont get it, If you have been thru it why would you want risk it again. Do you mean that Andrew was worse then can happen in NC,

[Beffrey2]

I think the main reason NC makes this list is because of the Outerbanks.

The outerbanks are slowly disappearing. Every winter nor'easters slam the outerbanks. Hurricanes and large waves during the summer and fall. Houses are floating away. I think this is why the numbers are so high for NC. For example, Hurricane Izzy wiped out hwy 12 at the outerbanks back in 2003, Imagine how much it cost to replace that road....imagine the toll on the economy. Imagine having to replace all those powerlines and poles that were destroyed along the road.

Mabye those are some of the reasons why

[SunnyKayak]

Below is a nasa explorer map showing the number of causalities due to lightning. North Carolina ranks 2nd

[NC man]

NC state just posted the hurricane outlook for this season....very active

[sheena]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

Below is a nasa explorer map showing the number of causalities due to lightning. North Carolina ranks 2nd

Oh gosh! Another thing?

[sheena]

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

Below is a nasa explorer map showing the number of causalities due to lightning. North Carolina ranks 2nd

I just read somewhere Florida is number one and they say it has striken many on the golf course.

[Adream]

Originally Posted by YorkshireLass

Thanks for listening to my ramble. Sometimes I enjoy the forum a little too much...

What a cute comment - I'm still chuckling over that one!

Your post is interesting YorkshireLass! Please tell me what the "Isothermal Belt" is. Thanks!

This is a fascinating thread!

[cowboy_wilhelm]

Thermal belts can occur along the sides of valleys and some mountains. Radiating heat from the ground rises up while cooler air from the top of the ridges sink, creating an inversion in the middle where the air is warmer than at the valley floor and tops of the mountains. This is a thermal belt.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension: The Thermal Belt (broken link)



Now, I'm not saying they don't exist, but the term is over-used. To say the entire area is in a "thermal belt" just isn't true. In fact, the only study I have found on thermal belts in North Carolina was conducted nearly a century ago. A true thermal belt can only occur on the side of a ridge, but temperatures are still effected in the immediate area. There has been ice at the house (in the valley) and ice at the top of Warrior Mountain, but none along the side. A pretty weird sight.

Isothermal Community College: Thermal Belts in N.C.

In the big picture, I doubt you'll find much difference in the weather in the typical thermal belt areas compared to other places.



Southeast Regional Climate Center

[SunnyKayak]

The Tar River suffered the worst flooding, exceeding 500-year flood levels along its lower stretches; it crested 24 feet (7.3 m) above flood stage during Floyd
. Flooding began in Rocky Mount, as much as 30% of which was underwater for several days.
In Tarboro, much of the downtown was under several feet of water.

Nearby, the historic town of Princeville was largely destroyed when the waters of the Tar poured over the town's levee, covering the town with over 20 feet (6 m) of floodwater for ten days.

Further downstream, Greenville suffered very heavy flooding; damages in Pitt County alone were estimated at $1.6 billion (1999 USD, $1.87 billion 2006 USD).
Washington, where the peak flood level was observed, was likewise devastated.

The Neuse River, Roanoke River, Waccamaw River, and New River exceeded 500-year flood levels, although damage was lower in these areas (compared to the Tar River) because of lower population densities.

Because most of the Cape Fear River basin was west of the peak rainfall areas, the city of Wilmington was spared the worst flooding despite having the highest localized rainfall; however, the Northeast Cape Fear River (a tributary) did exceed 500-year flood levels.

Of the state's rivers in the affected area, only the Lumber River escaped catastrophic flooding.
Rainfall and strong winds affected many homes across the state, destroying 7,000, leaving 17,000 uninhabitable, and damaging 56,000. Ten thousand people resided in temporary shelters following the storm.

The extensive flooding resulted in significant crop damage. As quoted by North Carolina Secretary of Health and Human Services H. David Bruton, "Nothing since the Civil War has been as destructive to families here.

The recovery process will be much longer than the water-going-down process."[7] Around 31,000 jobs were lost from over 60,000 businesses through the storm, causing nearly $4 billion (1999 USD, $4.7 billion 2006 USD) in lost business revenue.
In much of the affected area, officials urged people to either boil water or buy bottled water during Floyd's aftermath