The remnants of Tropical Storm Chantal didn’t just bring rain. They tore through central North Carolina with enough force to flood homes, drown highways, and trigger over 50 water rescues in a single night. The storm made landfall near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina early Sunday morning, then pushed north into the Carolinas. By Sunday evening, rainfall totals in Orange, Alamance, and Chatham counties hit 8 to 11 inches. The Eno River rose 20 feet in four hours. The Haw River crested at 32.5 feet, its second-highest level ever recorded. That’s higher than Hurricane Florence’s mark in 2018.
Chapel Hill was underwater. Bolin Creek spilled into Camelot Village, forcing evacuations. Eastgate Mall and University Place had standing water inside businesses. Cars were submerged. Roads collapsed. State Highway 902 in Chatham County gave out near Chatham Road. More than 120 roads were closed across the region. Interstate 40 and 85 were shut down near Durham. Power outages hit over 34,000 customers. Lake Michael Dam was flagged for possible failure. Orange County issued a voluntary evacuation for downstream areas.
The flash flooding wasn’t isolated. It hit hard across the Triad and Triangle. Mebane, Pittsboro, Hillsborough, Carrboro, and Durham all reported major damage. The National Weather Service confirmed tornado touchdowns in Lee and Chatham counties. Hangars and aircraft were damaged at the Raleigh Executive Jetport. Trees were ripped out of the ground. Mobile homes were destroyed. The storm’s wind gusts reached 60 mph. Chantal was the third named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. It arrived early. It left fast. But the damage is still being counted.
Governor Josh Stein declared local states of emergency in Alamance, Moore, and Orange counties. The Department of Transportation says it may take 48 hours to reopen major highways. The Southeast is expected to dry out by Tuesday, but the Mid-Atlantic is next. Chantal’s remnants are pushing into Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. Rainfall totals of 3 to 6 inches are forecast. Flash flood alerts remain active.
This wasn’t a coastal event. It was inland chaos. Streets turned into rivers. Homes and cars went under. The system didn’t need hurricane strength to break records. It just needed time and saturation. And it got both.
Sources:
https://www.kcra.com/article/chantal-flood-alerts-southeast/65314346
https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/north-carolina-south-carolina-flood-chantal-remnants
