Preliminary Report

Tropical Storm/Hurricane Bonnie


My Bonnie lies over the ocean, my Bonnie lies over the sea. My Bonnie almost wiped Southeast NC and coastal VA off the map!

At her worst, she packed sustained winds of 115 mph, expected storm surge of 10 to 12 feet, Dare County Emergency Management called her "Catastrophic". Fortunately, she did not have any of these repercussions for the Outer Banks. Our storm coverage of Bonnie was extremely slim due to the fact that Army and I(Fester) were both stuck at Dare County Detention Center with many other Emergency personnel.

Pics are here! Finally!



Some of the first cloud bands become visible. Cloud bands getting much closer. Downtown Columbia, NC at LOW water mark. More low water. The eyewall closing in on us. Here's us at the jail. Oh what a night! More of D.C.D.C. And more. No wonder they call it the Manteo Hilton!
Another pic of the eyewall. Ain't it purrdee!

Tropical Storm winds were expected on 08/26/98, early in the morning. Army and I were due into work at 0600 that morning, and we were debating whether to go into work the evening of the 25th, or just take our chances on the 26th. Well, we decided to wait. And it was a good thing we did. There was no reason for us to go early. Winds held steady at 10-15 mph throughout the day on the 26th. Early morning there were a few rain drops associated with an outer rain band, but that was it until late evening. Bonnie had shifted her track and was going to make landfall farther south than expected. She made landfall south of Wilmington.
Here's the log.

Log for Hurricane Bonnie



08/25/98 0600hrs EST -Dare County issues Mandatory Evacuation

08/25/98 1000hrs EST -Hurricane Bonnie located 450 m south of Cape Hatteras. Sustained winds of 115mph. Pressure 963 Mb. Moving 11 mph. Eye projected to pass near the Outer Banks Wednesday(08/26/98) morning. Hurricane force winds radiate for 145 miles from the eye and Tropical Storm winds radiate for 190 miles from that. Size of Bonnie comparable to the size of the great state of Texas. Winds are calm, gusts from 5-10mph. Temp 75. First cirrus cloud band seen. All of coastal NC is under a Hurricane Warning. Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions can be expected within 24 hours. Hurricane conditions means that winds will be 74+ mph.

08/25/98 1235hrs EST -N.W.S. moves all the forecasted times up. Tropical Storm winds are to begin at approximately 2000 hrs this evening. Hurricane force winds are to begin at 0000-0600 on 08/26/98. Cumulus cloud bands seen to the south. Winds at 10mph with gusts of 15-20mph. Temp 85. Rotation seen in the cloud band. Back door blows off the house. Tyrrell County Emergency Management issues a State of Emergency.

08/25/98 1300-1330hrs EST? -Tyrrell County Emergency Management issues a Mandatory Evacuation. So does Mainland Currituck County and New Hanover County. The Outer Banks portion of Currituck County had already been issued a Mandatory Evacuation Order at 0600hrs.

08/25/98 1418hrs EST -Preparations at home for Bonnie have been completed. Head to town to pick up batteries and film. No place in town has any stock left of D cell batteries. That means no radio or flashlight for me when the ones I have run down. US 64 westbound is pack with heavy amounts of traffic. People are heeding the Evacuation Order. Winds 15-20 mph steady. 90 to 95 degrees temp.

08/26/98 0445hrs EST -Heading to work. Sometime during the night we got our first rain band. Very light rain. NWS shifts projected landfall to the south. Bonnie still has sustained winds of 115mph.

08/26/98 0500hrs EST -NWS 0500 update. Bonnie is 130 m south of Wilmington. Distant flashes of lightning. Wind 5-10mph. Very nice CC lightning. Stars visible directly overhead.

08/26/98 0518hrs EST -SPC in Norman, OK issues a Tornado Watch til 1700hrs for all of coastal NC. And a Flash Flood Watch until 2200.

08/26/98 0523hrs EST -More frequent CC lightning. Now that the sun is beginning to come up, we can see where the clouds are at. There is a big hole in the clouds right over us. We can clearly see the constellation Orion. On the sound, we can see a few whitecaps. Arriving at the jail, the parking lot is packed. EMS Squads, a plumbing truck, State Troopers, Deputies, and the Fire Chief are on site. This day turned out to be very quiet weather wise. No sign of Bonnie at all. No high winds and no rain. Inside the jail was a madhouse tho.

08/26/98 0600hrs EST -Dare County Emergency Medical Service evacuates Station #2 and moves EVERYTHING into DOC end of D.C.D.C. At 2100 hrs, Emergency Management orders EMS to stand down and return to the station.

08/27/98 0100hrs EST -Coast Guard orders Stand Down and all service persons return to base.

08/27/98 1100hrs EST -Hurricane Bonnie is downgraded to a Tropical Storm with winds of 65mph.

08/27/98 1500hrs EST -Army, myself and coworker Amy Hill leave D.C.D.C. to return home. Mans Harbor Bridge……….witness 5 ft. waves. On the west side of the Sound, the waves are much larger. Several waves break across the bridge. Rain is moderate to heavy. Winds are at approximately 60 mph. Mans Harbor Marina is completely underwater. At Alligator River Bridge…….3 ft waves. Considerably less wind. Light mist. In Columbia, only small sections of the roads are not covered in water. Road St. has at least 3 foot of water flowing across it. At this time, we are in the eye of Tropical Storm Bonnie. By 1700 today, it is expected that Mans Harbor and Gateway will be submersed in water. 2 tornadoes were reported touching down, 1 in Gum Neck and the other in Kilkanee. A water spout was reported in the Albemarle Sound.

08/28/98 1200hrs EST -Hurricane Bonnie is on her way past Virginia. Damage survey. I had some screens torn out, lost some branches and leaves, and experiences minor flooding. Army experienced damage to SC4, his TV antenna tower, and large branches. Little flooding occurred. Streets of Columbia have a lot less water on them, but some are still water covered.


Bonnie was a very unpredictable storm. The forecasters had their hands full with her. Again, the Outer Banks was spared severe damage from a hurricane. But, it has been quite a few years since they have been hit by a severe, major damage causing hurricane. They are due for one.





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