Locally Heavy Rainfall for the Carolinas; Thunderstorms and Fire Weather Concerns for Intermountain West

Heavy rainfall from scattered thunderstorms is expected across the Southwest, Intermountain West, and Plains. Isolated dry thunderstorms may initiate additional fires across the west. The coastal Carolinas may experience flash floods in the coming days due to repeated thunderstorms. Additionally, a wave of intense summer heat will hit the Southern Plains and central Gulf Coast States this week. Read More >

Forming from a tropical wave on the west African coast late on August 27th, there was little to distinguish this storm from any other. But by the morning of August 30th, Frederic gained hurricane strength and began barrelling for the Carribean Sea. Frederic made landfall in Alabama on the evening of September 12th over Dauphin Island, affecting southern Mississippi, southern Alabama, and the western Florida panhandle with the worst conditions (including 8 to 12 inches of rainfall. Wind gusts of 135 mph was measured on the bridge from Dauphin Island.

Below are visible satellite images of Hurricane Frederick from NOAA archives.


Visible Satellite (NOAA) September 12, 1979	Visible Satellite (NOAA) September 13, 1979	Visible Satellite (NOAA) September 13, 1979

Although less significant, portions of northern Alabama also experienced tropical storm force wind gusts and heavy rainfall between 2 to 6 inches of rainfall. 2-4 inches fell along the track all the way to New England, but there were no reported cases of flooding with Frederick anywhere in the United States.