Roads remained closed as floodwater lingered in parts of North Carolina, after historic rains inundated the area on Monday, September 16.
Video shared by the Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday morning, September 18, shows a portion of Highway 17 under water near Leland, which received at least 6.78 inches of rainfall over the span of 12 hours on Monday, according to weather officials.
The sheriff’s office issued a warning that motorists should steer clear of Highway 17 until further notice.
The National Weather Service (NWS) reported that historic levels of rain had fallen across Carolina Beach, Southport, and Boiling Spring Lakes.
The NWS said some gauges were showing over 12 inches of rain had fallen in 12 hours, something they said only happens once every 200 years. One gauge in Carolina Beach showed over 18 inches in 12 hours, the NWS said, a level of rainfall to be expected “once every 1,000 years!”
The NWS later updated Carolina Beach’s total to a whopping 20.81 inches from September 15 to 16. Credit: Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office via Storyful