Winds, Rains and 



By Kathy Hart 



Put two people together anytime, 

 anywhere and the conversation will always 

 turn to the weather. 



"Hot enough for ya?" 



"Say, that was some storm we had last 

 night." 



For landlubbers, weather talk is just a 

 way to make idle conversation. Only on 

 rare occasions does it affect their. lives or 

 their property. 



But it's a different story along the 

 coast. 



Along this edge between the land and 

 sea, the weather can take on an ominous, 

 more life-threatening significance. 



From June until November, the threat 

 of hurricanes hangs over the heads of 

 coastal folks like the impending dread of 

 bad news. And as soon as the door is 

 closed on hurricane season, it's time for 

 nor'easters to come calling. 



These active and sometimes violent 

 coastal weather patterns are enough to 

 keep forecasters hopping. 



Summer Thunderstorms and 

 Waterspouts 



In the summer, the coast is subjected 

 to what Al Hinn calls the "sea breeze 

 effect." Hinn is a meteorologist at the 



National Weather Service's Wilmington 

 office, and he's had 16 years experience 

 forecasting coastal North Carolina weather. 



During summer, the warm, moisture- 

 laden sea breeze blows westerly from the 

 ocean toward inland counties. About mid- 

 day, the moisture starts to form swelling 

 clouds over coastal counties. 



By afternoon, the breeze has picked 

 up speed, adding increasing amounts of 

 moisture to the building clouds, which 

 heighten to thunderstorm proportions. By 

 evening, they often begin their march to 

 the sea. 



Those caught in their paths may ex- 



perience thunder, lightning, heavy down- 

 pours and an occasional tornado. As a re- 

 sult of the mid-summer heat and humidity 

 and the sea breeze effect, July is usually 

 the wettest month of the year for these 

 coastal counties. 



During the night, the thunderstorms 

 move offshore only to regenerate over the 

 Gulf Stream. Hinn warns that evening 

 hours nearshore and daybreak near the 

 Gulf Stream are often dangerous times for 

 offshore boaters and fishermen. 



Occasionally the storms formed by 

 the sea breeze effect or those associated 

 with a passing cold front spawn water- 



A waterspout. 



Along this edge between the land and sea, the weather can 



2 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1991 



