NWS Wilmington, NC

NWS Wilmington provides full forecasts (wave heights, wind, weather, visibility, etc.) for the local coastal waters from Surf City, NC to South Santee River, SC out 20 nautical miles from the coast. The Cape Fear River in North Carolina and Winyah Bay of South Carolina are the only major inland penetrating shipping routes that lead directly to the Atlantic Ocean. In addition many smaller inlets along the Intra-Coastal Waterway open up to the Atlantic Ocean. Many open navigable routes to the Atlantic Ocean are available to small boaters, charter boats and the commercial fishing industry. There are thousands of registered boaters in WFO ILM’s marine area of responsibility and as a result marine forecasts are extremely vital.

The close vicinity of the Gulf Stream, the configuration of the coast, and the climatological track of nor’easters and tropical cyclones combine to make the coastal marine forecast a challenge year-round. The summer and fall months bring on the potential for hurricanes which strike the coast an average of one for every 5 years. Year-round thunderstorm activity along with seasonal sea fog and damming events pose additional forecasting problems for the marine forecaster.

Our office also issues Special Marine Warnings for the coastal waters between 20 nm and 40 nm from shore - this includes hail, strong thunderstorm winds, and waterspouts.

To view additional information, visit  www.weather.gov/marine .

NWS Wilmington NC issues beach forecasts for the Cape Fear and Grand Strand regions of North and South Carolina from April 1 to October 31 each year. Seasonally, these beaches attract nearly one million people on any given weekend. As rip currents are the number one weather related killer in the eastern Carolinas, the Surf Zone Forecast (which includes rip current risk along with breaking wave heights and weather) is a vital NWS product for public safety. During the beach season, our office remains in contact with numerous local beach partners to receive daily observations and to coordinate any program changes.

Carolinas Rip Current Awareness webpage:  www.weather.gov/ilm/ripcurrents .

Our office issues Terminal Aerodrome Forecasts (TAFs) for five airports:

• Wilmington International Airport (KILM)
• Florence Regional Airport (KFLO)
• Grand Strand Airport (KCRE)
• Myrtle Beach International Airport (KMYR)
• Lumberton Municipal Airport (KLBT)

In addition to TAFs, NWS Wilmington issues Airport Weather Warnings (AWWs) for KILM and KMYR for strong winds, large wind shifts, or onset of frozen precipitation.

To view additional information, visit  www.weather.gov/ilm/aviation .

Much of the Wilmington NC service area is comprised of relatively flat coastal plain.  The ILM area is the terminus for two major river basins in the Carolinas.  These include the Cape Fear and the Pee Dee River Basins. There are 12 river forecast points within the forecast area. There are no major dams in the area, but there are 249 small dams in the area and eight of these are considered high hazard dams.  There are major dams upstream of the area in all basins that flow through the area. 

With our large river basins generally regulated by upstream dams, serious river flooding is normally limited to downstream tributaries such as the Northeast Cape Fear River in the Cape Fear Basin and the Waccamaw River in the Pee Dee Basin.  The Lumber River which resides in an unregulated portion of the Pee Dee River Basin also has experienced serious flooding in recent history.  In general, the rivers in our area are slow to respond due to the flat terrain and crest days or weeks after the causal rainfall.

Visit  water.noaa.gov/wfo/ilm  to view current and forecasted river conditions across the Wilmington area.

The Fire Weather Program at NWS Wilmington, NC aims to provide weather support to land management agencies for use in wildfire suppression, fire pre-suppression activities, and planning and training related to these functions. The goal of this support is the protection of life and property as well as the reduction of the loss of natural resources caused by the adverse impact of weather on fire behavior.

The fire weather season over the eastern Carolinas is split into two seasons. The first of these extends from late winter through the time of full greening in the spring. The second occurs during the relatively dry fall months as leaves fall from the trees.

There will also be some burning, mainly for ecological purposes, during the summer months. These will typically be smaller and less frequent. During a drought, little or no summer burning will occur due to increased wildfire risk.

Visit  www.weather.gov/ilm/FireWeather for more information. 

The official Atlantic Hurricane season extends from June 1 to November 30, but tropical storms and hurricanes have been known to develop prior to June 1 and after December 1. Although direct landfalls occur relatively infrequently, hurricane-related weather phenomena (storm surge, flooding from heavy rain, tornadoes, high winds, and rip currents) have produced some of the greatest weather-related tragedies in the Mid-Atlantic region. On average, two named storms affect the Wilmington forecast area each season. Therefore, NWS Wilmington must maintain a high level of awareness during any potential or active Gulf Coast or Atlantic Coast tropical cyclone.

Some historic hurricanes to impact our area include Hazel (1954), Hugo (1989), Fran (1996), Floyd (1999), and Florence (2018).

For additional information, visit  www.weather.gov/ilm/tropical .

Providing IDSS is the act of engaging with our partners to communicate the potential impacts associated with our forecasts. Ensuring that they understand the range and likelihood of potential weather impacts helps them to make the best decisions possible regarding public safety and the protection of life and property.  IDSS services encompass the clear, consistent, and plain language translation of NWS-generated weather and hydrologic forecasts information through two-way communication.

IDSS is classified as either remote (provided from our office, such as through emailed briefings or conference calls) or on-site (provided from the location of the incident or event).

Outreach within the National Weather Service is interaction with users designed to build awareness, develop relationships, and inspire action. It involves an information exchange between the NWS office and a target audience, and includes the promotion of weather, water, and climate information and services. This can be through hosting a table at a partner event (e.g., Femme in STEM event at NC Aquarium), giving weather talks at local meetings (such as Star Party at Carolina Beach State Park), and even organizing an open house at the NWS Wilmington office.