WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – Your First Alert Forecast offers fairly standard midsummer temperatures through Wednesday with afternoon readings in the upper 80s and lower 90s, heat index values in the upper 90s and lower 100s, and overnight lows well into the 70s. Chances for showers or storms will hover around 30% – perhaps a bit lower for the beaches and a bit higher well inland – each day. Keep it safe in the surf! …as rip current activity will take a couple of days to ease.
Recapping Tropical Storm Chantal: the system produced one to four and locally six inches of rain across the Cape Fear Region between Saturday and Sunday. Wilmington officially recorded 3.64 inches and a top wind gust of 36 mph. An EF-0 tornado, with winds estimated up to 70 mph, was analyzed to have damaged some trees and shingles just north of Wilmington Airport between 4:27 and 4:31 a.m. Sunday; the twister tripped no official warning as it was so weak and brief, so thankfully there were no injuries.
Apart from Chantal, whose remnants will climb through Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic Region through midweek, the Atlantic Basin will likely be void of tropical systems and development zones this week. So far, the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season has produced three weak, transient tropical storms in Andrea, Barry, and Chantal – good reminders for you to stay prepared and vigilant with wect.com/hurricane in case things get hairier in time. The season statistically peaks in early to middle September…