Is hurricane Ophillia a threat to Raleigh

[Irobot704]

here goes the anticipated path do you think ophillia will hit

[MZT]

Ophelia will probably be a category 1 storm, maybe a weak category 2 at landfall. Even if it made a beeline for Raleigh, it would not be a big deal.

[NCB]

Guys, I can tell you this, ANY TROPICAL STORM IS A THREAT!

It doesnt matter where it is, how big it is, or what they think it will do...ITS A THREAT!

When Katrina passed over Florida as a Cat. 1 hurricane, I didnt think it was a threat to me or New Orleans....and look what happened.

You never know what these things will do...all you can do is hope it turns out for the best.

[Lady Celeste]

Guys, I can tell you this, ANY TROPICAL STORM IS A THREAT!

It doesnt matter where it is, how big it is, or what they think it will do...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I agree NCB. Also one must understand that while the wind of a hurricane is damaging, it's the large amounts of rain and waves that can cause just as much if not more damage. We will all be on one accord and pray this storm away.

[MR-2]

Raleigh's too far inland to be affected by most hurricanes. Ophelia is acting strange with its projected path (it could go anywhere basically), and it could feasibly become a category 3 hurricane before landfall, but the chance of it retaining hurricane force winds far enough is unlikely.

[MZT]

Raleigh has gotten pretty messed up from some category 3 storms like Fran and Floyd, but it was mostly downed trees and power outages. Hurricane-spawned tornadoes and flooding are the main problems from storms that far inland.

Ophelia has moved so slowly that it's been mixing the coastal water for several days. The heat content just isn't available for a major storm... I say category 1 or weak category 2 at landfall. It's a threat to barrier island residents, but most people can stay put.

[DigitalSky]

This one is looking very unpredictable.

[RiverwoodCLT]

I have family in the Wilmington area, I hope they will be ok. Fran took about all the trees out of my sister yard, so she should not have any trees on her house.

[Roadgeek]

Isabel in 03 caused a few problems here in Greensboro. At my house, I couldn't open the front door because of the wind, had trouble walking outside, and it knocked my power out from about 4:30 PM until 7:30 PM. I sure hope Ophillia won't be a repeat.

[JunktionFET]

The only hurricane that I remember causing major problems in Raleigh was Fran in 1996. It was a category 1 hurricane as the eye passed directly over Raleigh. I slept through most of it on the 3rd floor. It was said that as the eye passed over Raleigh, the sky was pretty much clear in most spots... then as quickly as the winds faded, they returned just as strong as they were. Fran dropped to "tropical storm" status just northwest of Raleigh.

North Carolina's contemporary building codes are pretty strict... and though it is annoying for contractors, people in Wake County certainly appreciated their 100+ MPH rated windows. The damage to houses and buildings was due primarily to falling pine and oak trees and not just wind alone.

The soil had been soaked a few weeks before by the rain bands of TS Bertha (?), and the winds from Fran simply pulled Pine trees, with their shallow root structure, out of the ground and onto power lines, houses, etc.

A number of small tornados were spawned in my neighborhood--one of which literally ripped apart the trees just a couple hundred feet from where I was staying. One of them took a quick ride down my street, not 100 feet from my bedroom--destroyed a car parked on the street. Those tornados produced extremely localized damage.

Several old homes along Glenwood and other older Raleigh neighborhoods suffered damage from fallen trees. Many streets and major roads were not passable due to downed trees and power lines. My neighborhood, in an older but well developed and established part of Cary, was without electricity for 14 days--we were one of the last to have power restored. The newer neighborhoods with underground utilities enjoyed electricity much sooner.

By comparison, Floyd was a non-event in Raleigh. Floyd caused absolutely unbelievable flooding down east though--a sad sight for many people.

The ice and snow storm on December 4th and 5th 2002 did some real damage to the trees and power lines, and no wind was required! I remember driving around Charlotte the day after--it looked like a war zone. Driving to Raleigh later that day was also quite an experience.

[ironchapman]

I've heard that Ophelia's path was unpredictable, though...is this still true?

Any ways, I don't think Raleigh would suffer too much from it. It doesn't look like the city will get much of the storm. Now, had it followed Fran's precedent, like NorffCarolinadescribed, then you might could consider it a threat.

[redjeep77]

Well i am in Greenville NC and it's not too much of a concern here. I Think that mostly it'll bring lots of rain, but no real wind damage (crossing my fingers)

[ILoveCallingNCHome]

I'd think, wherever it ends up, the main threat as slow as it is moving would be from the excessive rain. With that said, even minor strong wind gusts (up to 60 mph) can cause some significant damage in way of fallen trees and the loss of power. (not to mention tornados from the unstable air)

[ralex231]

I got hit by a flying half full milk jug in the ass during huricanne Isabel in Raleigh so yeah it hurt

[DigitalSky]

I got hit by a  flying half full milk jug in the ass during huricanne Isabel in Raleigh    so yeah it hurt 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh God, that's gotta hurt!