POST TROPICAL CYCLONE REPORT...HURRICANE OPHELIA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEWPORT/MOREHEAD CITY NC 1230 PM EDT FRI SEP 23 2005 CATEOGORY ONE HURRICANE OPELIA, WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 85 MPH...BRUSHED BY THE COAST OF ONSLOW, AND CARTERET COUNTIES ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...9/14/05 THROUGH 9/15/05. OPHELIA CONTINED ITS SLOW NORTHEAST MOVEMENT ALONG THE SOUTHERN OUTER BANKS OF HYDE AND DARE COUNTIES THROUGH FRIDAY...9/16/05. ALTHOUGH THE STORM NEVER MADE LANFALL...THE NORTHERN EYEWALL MOVED ACROSS COASTAL AND ADJACENT COASTAL COUNTIES PRODUCING HURRICANE FORCE WIND GUSTS...SIGNIFICANT STORM SURGE FLOODING...AND HEAVY RAINFALL...RESULTING IN MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DAMAGES ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA. HIGHEST WINDS..LOWEST PRESSURES...AND STORM TOTAL RAINFALL ARE INDICATED FOR THE TIME PERIOD FROM 9/13/05 THROUGH 9/16/05. A. HIGHEST MEASURED WINDS... (ALL SPEEDS UNOFFICIAL) 2-MIN WIND PEAK GUST TIME COMMENTS LOCATION (ID) (MPH) (MPH) (EDT) DAVIS NA 103 NA P CAPE LOOKOUT (CLKN7) 75 92 709 PM 9/14 CEDAR ISLAND (CITN7) NA 90 438 AM 9/15 DIAMOND SHOALS (41025) 63 85 107 PM 9/15 CAPE HATTERAS (HSE) 66 83 856 AM 9/15 F MOREHEAD CITY NA 80 NA P FRYING PAN SHLS (FPSN7) 63 78 118 PM 9/14 ONSLOW BEACH (RSLN7) 61 78 525 PM 9/14 CHERRY POINT (NKT) 43 75 255 AM 9/15 ONSLOW BAY BUOY (41035) 56 72 709 PM 9/14 PEA ISLAND (PEIN7) NA 65 836 AM 9/15 BEAUFORT (MRH) 43 63 728 PM 9/14 F NEW RIVER (NCA) 44 63 556 PM 9/14 NEWPORT (MHX) 36 58 134 AM 9/15 RICHLANDS (OAJ) 35 56 815 PM 9/14 SWANQARTER (SWQN7) NA 56 456 AM 9/15 NEW BERN (EWN) 37 51 1041 PM 9/14 STUMPY POINT (SPON7) NA 42 340 AM 9/15 KENANSVILLE (DPL) 27 40 303 PM 9/14 KINSTON (ISO) 27 39 243 AM 9/15 MANTEO (MQI) 32 38 126 PM 9/15 WASHINGTON (OCW) 23 38 243 AM 9/15 KITTY HAWK (FFA) 23 36 1140 AM 9/15 GREENVILLE (PGV) 23 36 402 AM 9/15 COMMENTS KEY F - HIGHEST REPORT BEFORE INSTRUMENT FAILURE P - SOURCE OF MEASUREMENT PUBLIC REPORT B. LOWEST PRESSURE... PRESSURE TIME COMMENTS LOCATION (ID) (MB) (EDT) FRYING PAN SHLS (FPSN7) 980.8 550 AM 9/14 CAPE LOOKOUT (CLKN7) 981.9 200 AM 9/15 ONSLOW BAY BUOY (41035) 982.0 520 PM 9/14 ONSLOW BEACH (RSLN7) 985.0 722 PM 9/14 CEDAR ISLAND (CITN7) 988.0 440 AM 9/15 DIAMOND SHOALS (41025) 988.7 1050 AM 9/15 NEWPORT (MHX) 990.5 1220 AM 9/15 BEAUFORT (MRH) 991.8 756 PM 9/14 F CAPE HATTERAS (HSE) 993.1 856 AM 9/15 F BOGUE FIELD (NJM) 993.2 433 PM 9/14 CHERRY POINT (NKT) 994.2 155 AM 9/15 NEW RIVER (NCA) 994.2 556 PM 9/14 NEW BERN (EWN) 1000.0 1154 PM 9/14 SWANQUARTER (SWQN7) 1000.0 330 AM 9/15 PEA ISLAND (SWQN7) 1003.0 450 AM 9/15 STUMPY POINT (SPON7) 1004.0 350 AM 9/15 COMMENTS KEY F - LOWEST REPORT BEFORE DATA LOST C. RAINFALL... STORM TOTAL RAINFALL 9/13-9/16 LOCATION (ID) AMOUNT(INCHES) COMMENTS NEWPORT 9.39 JACKSONVILLE (JEON7) 5.79 NEW RIVER (NCA) 5.12 BEAUFORT (MRH) 4.78 F CHERRY POINT (NKT) 4.57 TRANTERS CREEK (TRAN7) 3.98 HOFFMAN FOREST (HFMN7) 3.89 KINSTON (KNNN7) 3.59 NEW BERN (EWN) 3.46 WALLACE (WCEN7) 3.28 CAPE HATTERAS (HSE) 2.85 LIZZIE (LZZN7) 2.26 GREENVILLE WATER PLANT(GREN7) 1.90 SNOW HILL (SHLN7) 1.82 POCOSIN LAKES NWR (POCN7) 1.74 GREENVILLE TOWN COMMONS (PGVN7) 1.30 WILLIAMSTON (WLLN7) 1.20 COMMENTS KEY F - INCOMPLETE TOTAL AMOUNT BEFORE INSTRUMENT FAILURE D. STORM TIDES EIGHT FOOT WATER LEVEL RISES OCCURRED ALONG THE LOWER REACHES OF THE NEUSE RIVER IN SOUTHERN CRAVEN COUNTY, DURING THE NIGHT OF THE 14TH, AT ADAMS AND CLUBFOOT CREEK. SOUND SIDE SURGE VALUES OF FOUR TO SIX FEET OCCURRED ALONG BOGUE AND CORE SOUNDS IN CARTERET COUNTY FROM THE EVENING OF THE 14TH TO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS ON THE 15TH. DURING THIS TIME, WATER LEVELS ROSE TO FIVE FEET ABOVE NORMAL ON THE NEWPORT RIVER, AND IN NEW BERN. TWO FOOT WATER LEVEL RISES WERE OBSERVED ALONG THE PAMLICO RIVER IN WASHINGTON. STORM SURGE RANGED FROM THREE TO FIVE FEET ALONG THE ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTY COAST LINES WITH A FIVE FOOT SURGE AT NORTH TOPSAIL BEACH...A FOUR FOOT SURGE AT BEAUFORT. THERE WAS A TWO FOOT SURGE AT THE MOREHEAD CITY WATERFRONT AND A FIVE FEET SURGE ALONG THE NEWPORT RIVER IN DOWNTOWN MOREHEAD CITY. ON THE 15TH AND 16TH ESTIMATED SURGES OF THREE FEET OCCURRED ALONG THE SOUTH FACING BEACHES OF OUTER BANKS DARE AND HYDE COUNTIES...SOUTH OF BUXTON. AN ESTIMATED SOUND SIDE SURGE OF THREE FEET OCCURRED SOUTH OF FRISCO...INCLUDING OCRACOKE. E. BEACH EROSION DUE TO THE PROLONGED DURATION OF STRONG WINDS, MODERATE BEACH EROSION OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF A THREE TO FIVE FOOT STORM SURGE ALONG WITH BATTERING WAVES ON THE BEACHES AND THE SOUNDS SOUTH OF FRISCO. F. FLOODING AND/OR FLASH FLOODING A COMBINATION OF SURGE FROM PAMLICO SOUND AND HEAVY RAINFALL RESULTED IN FLOODING OF STREAMS...ROADS...AND LOWER ELEVATIONS IN BEAUFORT...CARTERET...CRAVEN...JONES...ONSLOW..AND PAMLICO COUNTIES. G. TORNADOES NO TORNADOES WERE REPORTED IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE OPHELIA. H. PRELIMINARY STORM EFFECTS STORM SURGE AND WIND CAUSED THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ACROSS EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA...WITH MOST OF THE DAMAGE OCCURRING ACROSS COASTAL ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES. NO FATALITIES HAVE BEEN DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTED TO THE STORM. STORM SURGE AND BEACH EROSION EFFECTS HAVE BEEN SIGNIFICANT ALONG THE SOUTH FACING BEACHES OF ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES...AND ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF BOGUE AND CORE SOUNDS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE FROM STORM SURGE OCCURRED IN SALTER PATH ALONG THE SOUTHERN PART OF BOGUE SOUND IN CARTERET COUNTY. THE HIGHEST WATER LEVEL RISES OCCURRED IN THE LOWER REACHES OF THE NEUSE RIVER IN SOUTHERN CRAVEN COUNTY WHERE SEVERAL HOMES WERE FLOODED. SUSTAINED WINDS NEAR HURRICANE FORCE WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 100 MPH DURING THE NIGHT OF THE 14TH RESULTED IN MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO HOMES AND BUSINESSES...WITH MANY TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN ACROSS ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES. ADJACENT COASTAL COUNTIES AND THE SOUTHERN OUTER BANKS OF HYDE AND DARE RECEIVED TROPICAL STORM FORCE SUSTAINED WINDS WITH GUSTS TO NEAR HURRICANE STRENGTH DURING THE NIGHT OF THE 14TH AND THE MORNING OF THE 15TH RESULTING IN MINOR STRUCTURAL DAMAGE WITH TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN AND LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER. STORM SURGE FLOODING ON THE SOUTHERN OUTER BANKS OF HYDE AND DARE COUNTIES WAS MINIMAL WITH MINOR FLOODING IN SEVERAL HOMES MAINLY IN LOWER LYING AREAS ON OCRACOKE. DOLLAR DAMAGE ESTIMATES ARE STILL BEING ASSESSED. HOWEVER...SOME PRELIMINARY DAMAGE ASSESSMENTS INDICATE MOST OF THE STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OCCURRED IN COASTAL ONSLOW AND CARTERET COUNTIES WHERE 20 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE IS ESTIMATED. HEAVY RAIN AND HIGH WIND RESULTED IN ESTIMATED AGRICULTURAL LOSSES OF TWO MILLION DOLLARS IN BOTH CRAVEN AND DUPLIN COUNTIES. HIGHER CROP DAMAGE ESTIMATES ARE LIKELY IN PAMLICO AND CARTERET COUNTIES. $$ COLE/BANDY/VINCENT