North & South Carolina — Atlantic Coast
The Carolinas face hurricane threats from storms tracking northward along the Atlantic coast and systems making landfall directly. North Carolina's Outer Banks — a narrow barrier island chain — is one of the most exposed stretches of land on the East Coast. South Carolina's Grand Strand, Low Country, and Sea Islands face serious surge and flooding risks. Even inland areas like Charlotte, Raleigh, and Greenville can experience severe flooding from remnant tropical systems.
⚠ Storm Surge Warning
The Outer Banks of North Carolina are extremely vulnerable to storm surge and overwash — and to being completely cut off during a storm. Cape Hatteras has experienced surge that made NC-12 impassable for weeks. South Carolina's barrier islands and the Charleston peninsula face significant surge risk from storms approaching from the south.
Storm History
Major Carolina storms include Hurricane Hugo (1989, Category 4 landfall near Charleston, SC), Hurricane Floyd (1999, catastrophic inland flooding in NC), Hurricane Isabel (2003, Outer Banks and northeastern NC), Hurricane Matthew (2016, extreme inland flooding across both Carolinas), Hurricane Florence (2018, Category 1 at landfall but catastrophic 30–40 inch rainfall in eastern NC), and Hurricane Dorian (2019, Category 1 Outer Banks landfall).
Official Resources
NC Department of Public Safety — Emergency Management
NC Emergency Management →Official zone lookup — check before the season, not when a storm is named.
NC Hurricane Preparedness →the Carolinas-Specific
Current Atlantic Activity
Images from NOAA NHC (nhc.noaa.gov). Not affiliated with NHC. Full Storm Center →
Take Action Now
Water, food, power, first aid, medications, documents, pets — everything to stock before the storm.
Go-bag contents, when to leave, how to secure your home, zone lookup links.
Generator safety (never indoors), food safety, heat safety, communications.
FAQ