Carolina Weather Group

Is surface pressure a better predictor of hurricane damage than maximum sustained winds, which is the basis of the Saffir-Simpson scale? Back this week are Dr. Carl Schreck, of NC State and the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies, and Dr. Phil Klotzbach, of Colorado State University. They will explain the study they co-authored, which says minimum sea level pressure is more easily quantified than maximum sustained wind, and it shows a stronger relationship with hurricane risk for the continental United States. The study appeared in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society in 2019.

We're in the first week of the 2020 hurricane season and already have three named storms. This week, Dr. Phil Klotzbach returns to the show with his outlook for the 2020 hurricane season. We're joined by guest panelist Dr. Carl Schreck, of NC State and the North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies.

The first attempt to launch SpaceX's Demo-2 may have been scrubbed, but that didn't keep us from celebrating the return of NASA astronauts to the International Space Station from United States soil. Tony Rice joins us from Raleigh to discuss the mission, which hopes to launch this weekend from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. We explore the weather rules that govern the launch criteria: How lightning scrubbed Wednesday's launch and more storms in the forecast could be troublesome this weekend.

And... surprise! A tropical storm came ashore in South Carolina Wednesday morning before quickly bringing a flood threat to other portions of the Palmetto state and into North Carolina.  Brad Panovich joins us from Charlotte, where flash flood warnings were issued when Bertha's rainfall caused already high rivers, creeks, and streams to overflowing their banks; saturated soils lost the grips on more trees. Brad explains how our  week of rain caused an already-tropical system to influence even more flooding.

And Scotty Powell, with a look at NASCAR's rainy return to Charlotte Motor Speedway.

After four days of rain, North Carolina and South Carolina are battling a flood threat across the region. Rivers have crested, roadways have flooded, and at least 3 water rescues occurred Thursday. 

One person died after a tree fell on a home in Surry County, North Carolina. Strong-to-severe thunderstorms have produced damage and will be a threat again Friday when more scattered rain moves through the Carolinas.

The National Hurricane Center is also out with its annual seasonal outlook.  Join the conversation on this special edition of the Carolina Weather Group.

Tropical Storm Arthur is flirting with the North Carolina coast, where it is expected to bring tropical storm force winds, rip currents, and rain to the Outer Banks and eastern Atlantic shoreline. The Carolina Weather Group is tracking the storm's current conditions, forecast, and expected weather impacts across North Carolina and South Carolina. The biggest threat will be along North Carolina's Outer Banks.  James Brierton reports from Charlotte, with Dan Whitaker along the Outer Banks, Evan Fisher in Folly Beach, and Scotty Powell in the North Carolina foothills.

This week we're checking in with more meteorologists at home. We're gearing up for a fun and lighthearted conversation with the weather team from Greenboro's WFMY News 2 featuring Meteorologist Tim Buckley, Christian Morgan WFMY News 2, and Meteorologist Terran Kirksey.

This week, we're hanging out... virtually... with the meteorologists from WECT TV in Wilmington, North Carolina. The weather team joins us for a fun, lighthearted conversation about their interests and how they're spending their COVID-19 coronavirus time at home.  

Guests: Gannon Medwick, Eric Davis, Kellie McGlynn and Gabe Ross.  

Plus, confirmation of an EF-1 and EF-2 tornado in South Carolina's Chester and Lancaster counties.

** SUBSCRIBE TO OUR PODCAST: https://anchor.fm/carolinaweather **

This week we remember the April 16, 2011 tornado outbreak. It claimed 24 lives and injured over 300 people in North Carolina. We're talking with the National Weather Service forecasters who issued the life saving warnings, the storm chasers who relayed the vital storm reports, and the television meteorologists who relayed the information to the public. 

Guests: Gannon Medwick,  Tim Buckley, Mike Maze, Dan Whittaker, Jeremy Gilcrest, Jeff Orrock, Steven Pfaff