August 3, 2004 Hurricane Alex

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ACUS72 KMHX DDHHMM
PSHMHX

POST TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...HURRICANE ALEX 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC
520 PM EDT FRI AUG 06 2004

ALEX BRUSHED THE OUTER BANKS OF NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE LATE 
MORNING INTO THE AFTERNOON HOURS ON AUGUST 03, 2004. THE CENTER OF 
THE STORM CAME WITHIN 15 MILES OF CAPE HATTERAS AT 1PM EDT AS A 
CATEGORY TWO HURRICANE WITH SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR 100 MPH. HURRICANE 
ALEX ACCELERATED PAST THE AREA MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 
MPH. HIGHEST WINDS AND LOWEST PRESSURES ARE INDICATED FOR THIS DATE. 
MOST RAINFALL OCCURRED ON DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES AND ACTUAL STORM 
TOTAL RAINFALL MEASUREMENTS ARE FROM A 48 HOUR PERIOD ENDING AT 8 AM 
AUGUST 04, 2004. 

A.   HIGHEST MEASURED WINDS... (ALL SPEEDS UNOFFICIAL)

                     2-MIN WIND  PEAK GUST   TIME      COMMENTS
LOCATION (ID)           (MPH)      (MPH)     (EDT)

HATTERAS VILLAGE         NA         102      209  PM    P 
AVON                     NA         87       115  PM    F,P 
DIAMOND SHOALS (41025)   54         71       1200 PM    F
CAPE LOOKOUT (CLKN7)     59         64       1000 AM
ALLIGATOR RIVER          NA         62       1045 AM    N
CAPE HATTERAS (HSE)      44         61       1223 PM    F
BEAUFORT (MRH)           40         53       936  AM
FRYING PAN SHLS (FPSN7)  38         52       300  AM
MANTEO (MQI)             36         51       220  PM
DUCK (DUCN7)             45         49       300  PM 
KITTY HAWK (FFA)         24         39       340  PM
CHERRY POINT (NKT)       28         38       849  AM
NEWPORT                  23         37       913  AM
NEW RIVER (NCA)          17         30       834  AM
WASHINGTON (OCW)         18         30       122  PM
NEW BERN (EWN)           20         28       1118 AM
               
COMMENTS KEY
F - LAST REPORT BEFORE INSTRUMENT FAILURE
P - SOURCE OF MEASUREMENT PUBLIC REPORT  
N - LOCAL NWS MAINTAINED EQUIPMENT

                 
B. LOWEST PRESSURE... 

                         PRESSURE     TIME      COMMENTS
LOCATION (ID)              (MB)       (EDT)

DIAMOND SHOALS (41025)    990.7       1200 PM     F
CAPE HATTERAS (HSE)       991.2       1151 AM     F
CAPE LOOKOUT (CLKN7)      994.7       900  AM
FRYING PAN SHLS (FPSN7)   994.8       900  AM
BEAUFORT (MRH)            999.2       956  AM
CHERRY POINT (NKT)        1002.5      849  AM
DUCK (DUCN7)              1004.1      600  PM
NEW RIVER (NCA)           1004.6      656  AM
NEW BERN (EWN)            1004.8      954  AM
 
COMMENTS KEY
F - LAST REPORT BEFORE INSTRUMENT FAILURE
            
C. RAINFALL... 

                            STORM TOTAL RAINFALL
LOCATION (ID)                     (INCHES)

OCRACOKE (OCRN7)                    7.55 
BEAUFORT (MRH)                      5.62
NEWPORT                             2.88
WALLACE (WCEN7)                     2.31
CHERRY POINT (NKT)                  2.11
NEW BERN (EWN)                      1.61
GREENVILLE (GREN7)                  1.56
RICHLANDS (RILN7)                   1.50
NEW RIVER (NCA)                     1.26
WILLIAMSTON (WLLN7)                 0.69
KINSTON (KNNN7)                     0.50
SNOW HILL (SHLN7)                   0.49

D. STORM TIDES

THE HIGHEST ESTIMATED SURGE VALUES...RELATED TO SOUNDSIDE SURGE FROM 
THE PAMLICO SOUND...OCCURRED ON THE OUTER BANKS AT BUXTON...HATTERAS 
VILLAGE...AND ON OCRACOKE ISLAND. STORM SURGE VALUES WERE ESTIMATED 
IN THE 4 TO 6 FEET RANGE WITH THE HIGHEST SURGES OCCURRING AT BUXTON 
AND OCRACOKE VILLAGE WHERE SURGES UP TO 6 FEET WERE ESTIMATED. 
FLOODING OF THIS MAGNITUDE HAD NOT OCCURRED ON OCRACOKE ISLAND FOR 
NEARLY 20 YEARS WHEN HURRICANE GLORIA BRUSHED BY THE AREA IN 1985. 
WATER LEVELS ROSE TO  2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL ACROSS PORTIONS 
SOUTHERN CRAVEN COUNTY...DOWNEAST CARTERET COUNTY...AND EASTERN 
PAMLICO COUNTY...ALONG THE LOWER REACHES OF THE NEUSE AND PAMLICO 
RIVERS. CLUBFOOT AND ADAMS CREEK ON THE LOWER NEUSE ROSE TO 4 FEET 
ABOVE NORMAL. WATER LEVELS ROSE TO 2 TO 2 1/2 FEET IN THE NEW BERN 
AREA. WATER LEVELS ROSE TO 1 TO 2 FEET ACROSS WESTERN SECTIONS OF 
THE ALBEMARLE SOUND  INCLUDING THE ROANOKE RIVER. STORM SURGE WAS 
ESTIMATED AT 1 TO 2 FEET ALONG THE COAST OF THE OUTER BANKS FROM 
CAPE HATTERAS NORTHWARD. A SURGE OF 1 FOOT OR LESS OCCURRED ALONG 
THE COAST INCLUDING CORE AND BOGUE BANKS.   

E. BEACH EROSION

EROSION WAS SIGNIFICANT DUE TO SOUNDSIDE FLOODING ON CORE 
BANKS...ESPECIALLY ON OCRACOKE ISLAND...AND ON THE OUTER BANKS FROM  
BUXTON TO HATTERAS INLET. MAJOR OCEAN OVERWASH OCCURRED FROM  
SOUNDSIDE FLOODING ON HATTERAS ISLAND NEAR HATTERAS INLET. MINOR  
EROSION OCCURRED ON THE COAST OF THE OUTER BANKS NORTH OF CAPE  
HATTERAS WITH MODERATE EROSION OCCURRING IN THE BUXTON AREA. 

F. FLOODING AND/OR FLASH FLOODING 

OUTER RAINBANDS OF HURRICANE ALEX BEGAN AFFECTING EASTERN NORTH  
CAROLINA DURING THE NIGHT OF AUGUST 2ND. HEAVY RAINFALL CONTINUED  
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON ON AUGUST 3RD AS HURRICANE ALEX MOVED JUST OFF 
THE COAST SOUTH OF CAPE HATTERAS. DOPPLER RADAR STORM TOTAL 
ESTIMATES AND ACTUAL  OBSERVATIONS INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF 4 TO 8 
INCH RAINFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN CRAVEN COUNTY AND 
EASTERN CARTERET COUNTY NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS  HYDE AND DARE COUNTIES 
INCLUDING THE OUTER BANKS. THE  HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS MEASURED AT 
OCRACOKE WHERE NEARLY 7 INCHES  OF RAINFALL WAS MEASURED DURING THE 
DAY ON TUESDAY. A FLOOD/FLASH FLOOD WATCH  WAS ISSUED FOR EASTERN 
NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE AFTERNOON OF THE 2ND. FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS 
WERE ISSUED FOR CRAVEN AND CARTERET COUNTIES ON THE MORNING OF THE 
3RD WITH FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS REPORTED. 

G. TORNADOES

NO TORNADOES WERE REPORTED IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA.

H. PRELIMINARY STORM EFFECTS

STORM SURGE AND WIND CAUSED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EFFECTS ACROSS  
EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...ESPECIALLY ON OCRACOKE ISLAND AND THE 
OUTER  BANKS SOUTH OF BUXTON. NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES HAVE BEEN 
REPORTED IN  EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. STORM SURGE AND BEACH EROSION 
EFFECTS HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT IN OUTER BANKS DARE AND HYDE COUNTIES. 
SIGNIFICANT WIND AND  WATER DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM BUXTON SOUTHWARD ON 
THE OUTER BANKS AND ACROSS OCRACOKE ISLAND WHERE HUNDREDS OF 
VEHICLES AND HOMES WERE FLOODED FROM SOUNDSIDE STORM SURGE. 
SUSTAINED WINDS TO HURRICANE FORCE AND WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 100 
MPH  RESULTED IN MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES AND 
CAUSED  EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO TREES WITH POWER LINES DOWNED. 
ELECTRICITY WAS NOT RESTORED  TO SOME AREAS FOR 2 TO 3 DAYS. 
SIGNIFICANT EROSION OCCURRED MAINLY ON THE  SOUNDSIDE OF THE OUTER 
BANKS FROM BUXTON SOUTHWARD AND ON OCRACOKE ISLAND.             

    
COLE/BANDY