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Hurricane Matthew Brings Record River Flooding to North Carolina

At a Glance

Matthew's heavy ended over the weekend, but flooding will last for days in North Carolina.
Records have been broken and some locations will not crest until this weekend.

Record-breaking flooding has occurred in North Carolina after Hurricane Matthew dumped extreme amounts of rain on eastern parts of the state.

Estimated rainfall shows where the heavy amounts fell.

Though the rain has long since ended, and it should remain dry for many days ahead, rivers are still rising in some locations or will at least remain high for many days.

(MORE: How to Help Matthew's Victims)

In some cases, the flooding rivals that of Hurricane Floyd's in 1999.

This flooding is the result of 6 to 18 inches of rain that fell in eastern North Carolina from Matthew. The top total was 18.38 inches near Elizabethtown, followed by 15.65 inches at William O Huske Lock 3 and 14.82 inches in Fayetteville.

(LATEST NEWS: Matthew's Severe Flooding in North Carolina)

At least six river gauge locations have seen record flooding in North Carolina, including:

Lumber River @ Lumberton West 5th Street: Crushed previous record crest by roughly three-and-a-half feet, as of Monday.
Lumber River @ Lumberton: Exceeded record crest by nearly four feet on Sunday. This topped the previous record from the remnants of Hurricane Frances in 2004. The river is forecast to remain in record-flood stage into the weekend.
Lower Little River @ Manchester: Topped old record set Sept. 19, 1945, by more than two-and-a-half feet. Dropped below flood stage early Thursday.
Neuse River @ Smithfield: Exceeded record crest by over a foot-and-a-half on Monday. Dropped below flood stage Thursday.
Neuse River @ Goldsboro: Crested Wednesday at over 29.5 feet, topping the previous record set after Hurricane Floyd (28.9 feet).
Neuse River @ Kinston: The record of 27.71 feet, set during Hurricane Floyd in 1999, was broken late Thursday. The river crested close to 28.30 feet on Friday. The National Weather Service says "disastrous flooding" occurs at 27 feet.

One location in South Carolina also set record crest:

Little Pee Dee River @ Galivants Ferry: Crested Wednesday just above 17 feet. The old record was 16 feet.

Also notable is that the Tar River in Greenville, North Carolina, reached its third highest crest on record Friday, when it crested just under 24.5 feet.

According to the National Weather Service, here are some possible impacts when water reaches the following levels on the Tar River in Greenville.

24 feet: Devastating flooding for all areas adjacent to the river and tributaries. Water will begin to flood the Pitt-Greenville Airport. Water will overflow into the city of Greenville. Nearly all major roads countywide will become flooded and impassable.The flooding caused by Matthew will still be a major concern for many days ahead. Please take action if you are in an area that is being affected and follow what local authorities instruct you to do.