FLOOD10133

• County: Statewide
• Community: State of North Carolina
• Basin: Statewide
• Title: Two Months of Flooding in Eastern North Carolina, September-October 1999: Hydrologic, Water-Quality, and Geologic Effects of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd and Irene
• Date: 1/1/2000
• Prepared By: USGS
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

Events in 1999 continued a pattern
that began in 1996 with greater-than-
normal tropical cyclone activity in
North Carolina. Between 1886 and
1999, one tropical cyclone made
landfall in North Carolina on average
once every 3.4 years, and between
1961 and 1995,
only six tropical
cyclones made
landfall in the State.
However, between
1996 and 1999, six
additional tropical
cyclones made
landfall in North
Carolina, and
several others (for
example Jerry in
1997 and Irene in
1999) substantially
affected the State.
The combined
effects of Hurri-
canes Dennis,
Floyd, and Irene in
September and
October 1999 resulted in almost
2 months of flooding throughout
most of eastern North Carolina,
Hurricane Floyd will likely be the
second or third most costly hurricane
to strike the United States in the 20th
century and resulted in more fatali-
ties than any hurricane to strike the
United States since 1972, including
52 fatalities in North Carolina. Rain-
fall amounts recorded during Hurri-
cane Floyd (September 14-17,1999)
and accumulated during the months
of September and October were
unprecedented for many parts of
eastern North Carolina during more
than 80 years of precipitation
records. Flooding was at record
levels, and SOO-year or greater floods
occurred in all of the State's river

collected since 1897, the peak stage
during this event was almost 10 feet
higher than the previously recorded
peak stage. Flood recurrence inter-
vals in many of the tributaries to the
Neuse River downstream from
Clayton were in excess of SOO years,
but flood recurrence
intervals along the main-
stem of the Neuse were
between 25 and SO years,
although the Neuse River
at Kinston was above
flood stage all of October.
Floods having recurrence
intervals near or in excess
of 500 years also
occurred on the Cashie
River and Ahoskie and
Potecasi Creeks in north-
east North Carolina; and
on the New, Northeast
Cape Fear, Black, and
Waccamaw Rivers in
southeast North
Carolina.
As a result of the flooding, the
total freshwater inflow volume to
Pamlico Sound during September-

basins east of Raleigh, with the
exception of the Lumber River
Basin.
Some of the most widespread
flooding occurred in the Tar-Pamlico
River Basin downstream from Louis-
burg. Measured flood flows on the

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Surf at Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., prior to Hurricane Floyd landfall

Tar River and major tributaries
downstream from the Tar River
Reservoir
near Rocky
Mount had
recurrence
intervals in
excess of
100 years,
and several
sites had
recurrence
intervals in
excess of
500 years.
At Tar-
boro, where
streamflow
records
have been

Damaged property at Pine Knoll Shores, N.C., after Hurricane Floyd

Two Months of Flooding in Eastern North Carolina, September-Octobcr 1999