Carolina Weather 101: Do November hurricanes like Ida ever pose a real threat to NC?

November 5, 3:31 PMCoastal Carolina Weather ExaminerGannon Medwick

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Cat. 2 Hurricane Kate struck Florida in late November 1985 and went on to affect NC in remnant form.

csc.noaa.gov

Caribbean Hurricane Ida's striking of the Nicaraguan coast early Wednesday 11 / 5 inspires me to explain why North Carolina's coast is far less vulnerable to direct hits from November hurricanes.  As I asserted in an earlier post When do hurricanes hit North Carolina?, hurricanes very seldomly directly impact North Carolina outside of the middle 50% of the broader Atlantic Basin Hurricane Season (middle 50% of the season July 15 - October 15). 

In November, westerly winds in the middle atmosphere - those which steer hurricanes - operate more vigorously across the southern half of the United States than in warmer months like August.  More than not, these westerlies carry November hurricanes that form over the Caribbean Sea or Gulf of Mexico waters swiftly past North Carolina.  By contrast, an August hurricane, in the midst of weaker or non-existent westerlies, might have a better chance to come out of the tropics and into North Carolina.  No hurricane has directly struck North Carolina since the early 1900s.

While North Carolina isn't likely to receive a direct hit from a November hurricane, remnant tropical systems can and do affect the Tar Heel State in late autumn.  Hurricane Kate of 1985, for example, slammed Florida's Panhandle as a Category 2 storm on November 20.  Carried by the westerlies, Kate went on to bring a round of rain and gusty winds to North Carolina on the 21st and 22nd.

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