WASHINGTON — Hurricane Florence was the nation’s second rainiest storm in 70 years, a top rainfall meteorologist calculated. Kunkel’s preliminary analysis found more than 17.5 inches (0.4 metres) fell on average over five weather stations in the 14,000 square miles of the eastern Carolinas stretching from Fayetteville, North Carolina, to Florence, South Carolina. The third rainiest storm was in March 2016 in northern Louisiana and the seventh was in southern Louisiana in August 2016. Kunkel examined rainfall over a compact area — 14,000 square miles, a figure based on latitude and longitude squares — and larger areas such as 20,000, 30,000 and 80,000 square miles. When the scientist looked at a bigger area, 20,000 square miles, Florence fell to seventh place, behind Harvey, 1998’s Hurricane Georges, the two Louisiana rainstorms, a 1962 northern California downpour and a 1994 Texas drenching.

Source: National Post September 25, 2018 15:33 UTC