US / North Carolina Once-in-1,000-Year Rainfall Drenches NC The Carolina Beach area got 18 inches in 12 hours By John Johnson, Newser Staff Posted Sep 17, 2024 6:32 AM CDT Copied Roads flood in heavy rains Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Southport, North Carolina. (Renee Spencer/The Star-News via AP) See 1 more photo It wasn't technically a tropical storm, but the weather system that drenched North Carolina on Monday nonetheless dumped historic amounts of rain, reports the New York Times. The municipality of Carolina Beach got an astounding 18 inches in 12 hours, which CNN describes as a "once-in-1,000-year" deluge. The area was under a state of emergency, as the National Weather Service warned of "life-threatening flash flooding." North Carolina's Brunswick County was particularly hard hit, with the NWS posting warnings and images of washed-out roads. Tropical storm warnings were in effect throughout the state, including near Charleston, South Carolina, along the South Santee River and on the Outer Banks island of Okracoke, per the Washington Post. The northern half of South Carolina was expected to get 1 to 3 inches of rain, with lesser amounts eventually falling through Wednesday on areas such as DC and Baltimore. (More North Carolina stories.) See 1 more photo Report an error