Hurricane Florence (2018)

Name: Hurricane Florence (2018): track and modeled winds
Creator: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center

Hurricane Florence was a Category 4 hurricane at its peak, with 150 mph winds and a lowest pressure of 937 mb, per NOAA's National Hurricane Center. Modeled winds reached tropical-storm force (39 mph) at 2 of the cities we track; the strongest was Wilmington, NC, with a modeled peak gust of 98 mph.

Peak strength150 mph winds (1-minute): Category 4
Cities with tropical-storm-force windsModeled, of the cities we track: 2
LandfallsFirst September 14, 2018: 1
Lowest pressure: 937 mb

Track, wind field and cities

Select a piece of the track or a city for details.

Depression or weaker
Tropical storm
Hurricane, Category 1 or 2
Major hurricane, Category 3 to 5
Landfall
City (larger ring, stronger modeled gust)
Modeled wind field, 39 to 111 mph sustained (darker, stronger; orange 111 mph+)

Source: NOAA/NWS National Hurricane Center best track (HURDAT2). City winds and the wind field are modeled.

The shaded areas are where our model puts Hurricane Florence’s sustained winds over open land at 39 mph or more (tropical-storm force), 58, 74 (hurricane force) and 111 mph (major hurricane force) at some point along its track. Modeled, not measured. How we model hurricane winds

Landfalls

September 14, 2018, Category 1 at 92 mph, about 5 miles from Wilmington, NC

Modeled winds at cities (2)

Estimated peak winds for open, flat ground at each city’s center. Not measurements. How we model hurricane winds

City	Peak gust	Sustained	Closest pass	Peak
Wilmington, NC	98 mph	80 mph	4 miles	Sep 14, 2018, 3:45 AM EDT
Myrtle Beach, SC	72 mph	59 mph	10 miles	Sep 14, 2018, 2:00 PM EDT

What happened

After weakening from Category 4 strength over the Atlantic, Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina, at about 7:15 a.m. EDT on September 14, 2018, as a Category 1 hurricane with 80-knot (92 mph) winds.¹ It then moved slowly west-southwest and weakened to a tropical storm over eastern South Carolina just north of Myrtle Beach that evening.¹

Storm surge flooding reached 8 to 11 feet above ground along the Neuse River and its tributaries in Craven, Pamlico and Carteret Counties, highest just upstream of downtown New Bern, and 5 to 8 feet on the Onslow Bay coast in parts of Carteret, Onslow, Pender and northern New Hanover Counties.¹ Wilmington International Airport measured a 91-knot (105 mph) gust and Cape Lookout a 92-knot (106 mph) gust.¹ In New Hanover County many homes and businesses had roof, garage door and siding damage, and in Surf City at least 75 percent of homes had some damage, with some at the north end filled with 4 to 5 feet of sand.¹

Rain set state tropical cyclone records of 35.93 inches near Elizabethtown, North Carolina, and 23.63 inches at Loris, South Carolina, and NHC says freshwater flooding did most of the damage to homes and commercial buildings in North Carolina.¹ An estimated 74,563 structures flooded in North Carolina, including 3,882 flood-damaged structures in Pender County, 96 of them destroyed, and South Carolina reported 11,386 homes with moderate or major damage.¹ Of 44 tornadoes, an EF2 in Chesterfield County, Virginia, tore roofs off buildings and collapsed a commercial building, killing one person.¹ NHC counts 22 direct and 30 indirect deaths and cites an NCEI estimate of about $24 billion in wind and water damage, with $22 billion of damage in North Carolina and $2 billion in South Carolina.¹

Sources

1. NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone Report: Hurricane Florence, 31 August to 17 September 2018

Best track (79 positions)

Time	Status	Wind	Pressure	Position
Aug 30, 06:00 UTC	Low	23 mph	1008 mb	12.8°N, 16.9°W
Aug 30, 12:00 UTC	Low	29 mph	1007 mb	12.8°N, 17.9°W
Aug 30, 18:00 UTC	Low	29 mph	1007 mb	12.8°N, 19.0°W
Aug 31, 00:00 UTC	Low	35 mph	1006 mb	13.1°N, 20.2°W
Aug 31, 06:00 UTC	Low	35 mph	1006 mb	13.4°N, 21.4°W
Aug 31, 12:00 UTC	Low	35 mph	1006 mb	13.6°N, 22.6°W
Aug 31, 18:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	13.8°N, 23.8°W
Sep 1, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	14.0°N, 24.9°W
Sep 1, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	1005 mb	14.3°N, 26.1°W
Sep 1, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	1004 mb	14.8°N, 27.2°W
Sep 1, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	46 mph	1002 mb	15.4°N, 28.3°W
Sep 2, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	52 mph	1000 mb	15.9°N, 29.6°W
Sep 2, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	999 mb	16.4°N, 30.9°W
Sep 2, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	998 mb	16.8°N, 32.4°W
Sep 2, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	998 mb	17.1°N, 33.8°W
Sep 3, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	997 mb	17.6°N, 35.2°W
Sep 3, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	997 mb	17.9°N, 36.6°W
Sep 3, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	996 mb	18.2°N, 38.0°W
Sep 3, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	993 mb	18.4°N, 39.2°W
Sep 4, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	990 mb	18.7°N, 40.2°W
Sep 4, 06:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	989 mb	19.1°N, 41.2°W
Sep 4, 12:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	81 mph	986 mb	19.5°N, 42.0°W
Sep 4, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	982 mb	20.0°N, 42.7°W
Sep 5, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	975 mb	20.4°N, 43.4°W
Sep 5, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	968 mb	21.1°N, 44.3°W
Sep 5, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	960 mb	21.7°N, 45.2°W
Sep 5, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	950 mb	22.4°N, 46.2°W
Sep 6, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	950 mb	23.1°N, 46.9°W
Sep 6, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	958 mb	23.8°N, 47.6°W
Sep 6, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	970 mb	24.4°N, 48.2°W
Sep 6, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	86 mph	980 mb	24.8°N, 49.0°W
Sep 7, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	990 mb	25.0°N, 49.6°W
Sep 7, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	992 mb	25.0°N, 50.3°W
Sep 7, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	993 mb	24.9°N, 51.1°W
Sep 7, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	993 mb	24.8°N, 52.0°W
Sep 8, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	993 mb	24.7°N, 52.9°W
Sep 8, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	993 mb	24.6°N, 53.6°W
Sep 8, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	992 mb	24.6°N, 54.1°W
Sep 8, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	989 mb	24.6°N, 54.5°W
Sep 9, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	989 mb	24.5°N, 55.0°W
Sep 9, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	988 mb	24.4°N, 55.5°W
Sep 9, 12:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	984 mb	24.4°N, 56.1°W
Sep 9, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	81 mph	979 mb	24.4°N, 56.7°W
Sep 10, 00:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	92 mph	973 mb	24.5°N, 57.3°W
Sep 10, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	967 mb	24.7°N, 58.4°W
Sep 10, 12:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	954 mb	24.9°N, 59.5°W
Sep 10, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	940 mb	25.2°N, 60.6°W
Sep 11, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	944 mb	25.6°N, 61.8°W
Sep 11, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	950 mb	26.0°N, 63.2°W
Sep 11, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	144 mph	947 mb	26.5°N, 64.7°W
Sep 11, 18:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	150 mph	937 mb	27.2°N, 66.4°W
Sep 12, 00:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	138 mph	943 mb	27.9°N, 68.1°W
Sep 12, 06:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	945 mb	28.7°N, 69.5°W
Sep 12, 12:00 UTC	Category 4 hurricane	132 mph	945 mb	29.4°N, 70.7°W
Sep 12, 18:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	127 mph	949 mb	30.4°N, 71.9°W
Sep 13, 00:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	121 mph	955 mb	31.5°N, 73.2°W
Sep 13, 06:00 UTC	Category 3 hurricane	115 mph	955 mb	32.4°N, 74.2°W
Sep 13, 12:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	109 mph	954 mb	33.1°N, 75.1°W
Sep 13, 18:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	953 mb	33.6°N, 76.0°W
Sep 14, 00:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	104 mph	952 mb	34.0°N, 76.5°W
Sep 14, 06:00 UTC	Category 2 hurricane	98 mph	952 mb	34.2°N, 77.2°W
Sep 14, 11:15 UTC (landfall)	Category 1 hurricane	92 mph	956 mb	34.2°N, 77.8°W
Sep 14, 12:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	92 mph	957 mb	34.1°N, 77.9°W
Sep 14, 18:00 UTC	Category 1 hurricane	75 mph	969 mb	34.0°N, 78.4°W
Sep 15, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	69 mph	978 mb	33.9°N, 78.8°W
Sep 15, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	986 mb	33.7°N, 79.3°W
Sep 15, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	63 mph	992 mb	33.6°N, 79.5°W
Sep 15, 18:00 UTC	Tropical storm	58 mph	997 mb	33.6°N, 79.8°W
Sep 16, 00:00 UTC	Tropical storm	52 mph	998 mb	33.6°N, 80.2°W
Sep 16, 06:00 UTC	Tropical storm	46 mph	999 mb	33.6°N, 80.8°W
Sep 16, 12:00 UTC	Tropical storm	40 mph	1002 mb	33.6°N, 81.5°W
Sep 16, 18:00 UTC	Tropical depression	35 mph	1006 mb	34.1°N, 82.1°W
Sep 17, 00:00 UTC	Tropical depression	29 mph	1007 mb	35.0°N, 82.2°W
Sep 17, 06:00 UTC	Tropical depression	29 mph	1008 mb	36.4°N, 82.6°W
Sep 17, 12:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1008 mb	37.8°N, 82.2°W
Sep 17, 18:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1008 mb	38.8°N, 82.0°W
Sep 18, 00:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1008 mb	39.5°N, 80.5°W
Sep 18, 06:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1007 mb	41.3°N, 76.8°W
Sep 18, 12:00 UTC	Post-tropical	29 mph	1006 mb	42.2°N, 73.3°W

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