NWS releases preliminary reports of wind gusts, rainfall during Florence

Preliminary reports issued by the National Weather Service show wind gusts reached at least 105 mph at the Wilmington airport and ranged from 43 mph to 99 mph across the region. 

The eye of Florence directly struck Wrightsville Beach, early Friday. The hurricane officially hit the East Coast around 7:40 a.m. ET as a Category 1 storm.

Florence crept along the coast, dumping lost of water and lashing the area with winds. 

PRELIMINARY PEAK WIND GUST TOTALS

 The storm dumped up to 30 inches of rain in parts of Wilmington and almost 36 inches of rain in Elizabethtown. Sunset Beach probably saw the least amount of rain with a little over 10 inches.

PRELIMINARY RAINFALL TOTALS

The U.S. Military says more than 12,000 troops are supporting federal, state and local response efforts in areas affected by former Hurricane Florence.

U.S. Northern Command said in a news release late Tuesday that about 5,600 personnel are active-duty and reserve forces. Another 6,800 are National Guard.

They’ve been using high-water vehicles and other equipment to rescue dozens of people. They’ve also evacuated hundreds of people from homes and buildings.

U.S. Northern Command said the troops will stay until they’re no longer needed.

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