Ernesto in Durham, NC

This photo shows the effect of gusty winds and significant rains brought on by tropical storm Ernesto, some 170 miles inland from where it made landfall last night near Cape Fear, North Carolina. Although the debris here is just fallen leaves and pine needles (so far!), it looks as if a pine tree had its way with something on my deck last night.

My mom lives in Ogden, just north of Wilmington. When the storm came ashore near Cape Fear, it was blowing at about 70 mph, just shy of hurricane strength. I spoke with Mom at 11pm just to make sure she was doing ok, and she said that all of the streets and homeowners' yards were standing in water. Otherwise, she seemed to think that the area would fare pretty well.

This morning, it is breezy and drizzling with gusts of chilly wind, probably in the 20-30 mph range out of the north. This tells me that the storm is passing by us to the east right now. When the winds shift to more of a westerly direction, I will know that Ernesto is beginning to exit North Carolina for Virginia. On occasions, a gust of wind will blow by and I can feel a current of air move past my feet as the force of the wind creates a vaccuum, pulling the air from my home.

Thank you, Ernesto, for the rain. You can keep the wind to yourself next time!

Categories: hurricane tropical+storm Ernesto North+Carolina 2006 photography