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10:21a Is there some October fear in the air? It’s Friday Flicks, tonight at The Old Theater:


10:08a Post hurricane, there is a lot of information coming out of Town Hall. TownDock.net stopped by to get clarification on the home and businesses damage reports and ongoing debris pickup from Town Manager Diane Miller:

Damage estimates for homes and businesses can be called in or emailed to Town Hall: (252) 249-0555 or by email manager@townoforiental.com.

8:26a There is a strange visitor out in Dolphin Point. Pappy Khouri writes in:

What is it? Where is it from? And how did it get to Dolphin Point? Mystery solved. Local readers have written in that the longhorn cow (or maybe steer) belongs to Miles Shorey. And it has a name: Plum Smiley.

Plum Smiley’s fence is being repaired. We’re told she or he will be rounded up in time.

7:13a It got down to 49 last night. Sunshine and a high near 70 today.

Looking for the Rabid Rabbit video? It’s at this link.

7:41a Autumn has finally arrived. Not just on the calendar, but in the air. High today of 65 and north winds 10-15 mph. North winds.

Those gulls may finally be on their way.

2:15p Pork Fest? And add in green snap beans for balance. It’s all part of this week’s specials at Oriental’s Piggly Wiggly.

8:58a Lose your keys in the water? A set was found floating in the harbor. A green canoe went missing, too. They’re both listed in the Hurricane Lost & Found.

8:31a Town Hall needs your help. From Town Manager Diane Miller:

Town Manager Miller’s email is manager@townoforiental.com.

8:15a The dark ages of Oct 17 have ended. Duke Power is back in Oriental.

7:52a Early voting begins today. You can vote in Pamlico County at the courthouse in Bayboro, weekdays 7a – 7p, Saturday, Nov. 3rd 8a – 1p.

7:30a Duke power is out in Oriental. Again. After a few minutes of flickering, it went down at about 7:10a. Duke says “crews are en route” – power should be restored by 9:45a at the latest.

9:14a Starting in July, Town Hall began accepting donations to help raise money for the dredging of Whittaker Creek channel. A grant for the dredging was awarded, but one-third matching money (or $109,389) must be raised first.

Residents along the creek were asked to donate $400 and businesses $6,000.

The Whittaker Creek Dredging fund has increased to $66,315 as of October 15. An anonymous group donated $2,000 in the name of Deaton Yacht Service. Deaton’s suffered damage during Hurricane Florence, but took care of the group’s boats during the storm. In return, they paid the remainder of Deaton’s $6,000 donation to the Whittaker Creek Dredging fund.

3:01p There is a Hurricane Florence Benefit Concert happening this Saturday. Here’s who’s playing:

• Brant Island Strings Noon -1p
• Stairwell (from Greenville) 2 – 3p
• Saltwater Gold 3:30 – 4:30p
• Morris Creek Bluegrass 5 – 6p

It’s Saturday Oct 20 Noon – 6p on the grounds of The Masters Wealth Management Group, adjacent to the Oriental Post Office. More info at this link.

8:05a Check out the Cultural & Life Enrichment classes starting soon at PCC.

7:03a Late summer re-visits today – highs in the mid 80s. But autumn will be back later in the week… Thursday’s forecast has a high just near 65.

The Oriental Weather Station shows temps doing the October wander, varying from 90 to 58 in the last 10 days:

1:16p Traveling sailors and musicians Salty Paws play this afternoon 4 – 6p at the Brewery beer garden.

There might be beer too.

It’s clear. It’s crisp. You can almost feel it lookin’ at HarborCam. More of the same weather coming Sunday.

9:30a There have been three tropical storm systems active on the Atlantic for much of the time for over a month. This weekend things are finally getting quiet.

Yesterday Michael finished as the storm’s remains headed northeast into cooler Atlantic waters. This morning Tropical Storm Nadine in the distant mid-Atlantic dissipated.

Hurricane Leslie has been the 2018 season’s longest lasting tropical system. It formed on Sept 23. It dissipated and then reformed as a tropical depression Sept 28.

Since then Leslie has moved in every possible compass direction around the mid-Atlantic. Today, Leslie will oddly land on the coast of Portugal as a 75 mph hurricane, heading inland to Spain. That isn’t supposed to happen.

Leslie will become “post-tropical” tonight or Sunday. And then the Atlantic storm map will be clear for the first time since August.

8:05a Today was supposed to be hazardous waste collection in the county. It was cancelled… but ultimately will be rescheduled. Date TBD.

We’re a couple weeks away from a busy weekend… Saturday Oct 27 is both the Oriental Classic Car Show and the Chili Cookoff.

7:55a Overnight low hit 58… tonight’s forecast low 51. Sunny mid 70s today. Hello autumn.

If you see Sally Pichette @ Croakertown Coffee today, it’s Happy Birthday time.

3:04p This afternoon two cranes on two barges came into Oriental’s harbor. Their mission? To lift a 41’ Morgan Out Island sailboat off the top of a dock. (It got there from Hurricane Florence’s 9-foot-plus surge.) And they did – see above.

Here’s what Rabid Rabbit looked like on the dock.

The moving of Rabid Rabbit can’t quite be distilled down to a couple photos. A story with lotsa photos (and video) in coming days.

1:35p Go ahead. Flip a switch. Power has been restored, in “downtown” Oriental at least.

Duke Energy still lists 1,062 customers without power in Pamlico County. That’s down from 2,656 earlier today. If you are a Duke customer and still without power, and you haven’t called in yet, the # is 800-769-3766.

12:18p Hazardous Waste Collection Saturday has been postponed:

No date set yet – it will be on TownDock once it is re-scheduled.

12:10p Duke Energy truck spotted in Oriental – from reader Kevin Guilfoyle:

12:01p Some Duke Power customers have been restored – Duke now lists 2,203 customers in Pamlico County without power – over 400 fewer than earlier today. Still no estimate on restoration beyond that. Still “ASSESSING DAMAGE.”

TownDock is getting calls & emails re whether we “really know” when Duke Power will be restored. It seems unfair to hold back on this info, so an online tool has been created so everyone can have inside knowledge. Click here. (after you click, click on the image for a personalized answer)

10:17a What’s up with Duke Energy? The power went out last night a few minutes before 10p, ironically as Michael’s winds had begun to decrease and he was on his way outta town.

At the moment there are 2,680 customers offline just in Pamlico County. Online Duke has no restoration ETA – just “ASSESSING DAMAGE.”

TownDock.net called Duke Energy to find out more. From Duke’s Anne McGovern:

Anne says hopefully this afternoon they will have estimated restoration times. There are widespread outages across eastern North Carolina, but nothing like after Florence.

FYI, Duke Energy isn’t just fixing things here. Duke is also the power provider in the Florida Panhandle (where Hurricane Michael landed with 155 mph winds.)

9:54a From Lili at New Village Brewery:

9:15a They may have no phones & net, but Town Hall is open:

8:50a Croakertown Coffee is open this morning under generator power (Sally & Charlie had it going at 7a.) Oriental Deli is about to open too… Tim brought in the generator and will open at 9a. Tim was unable to operate on generator, cannot open until Duke power is restored.

7:57a You look semi-alive. The Oriental Weather Station high wind from Michael’s visit: 58mph at 6:57p Thursday. Today’s high wind 30mph a few minutes after midnight. Storm Michael is now no more – Post-Tropical.

Over at Cherry Point they recorded a 67mph wind at almost the same time – 6:54p last night.

It’s calmer this morning, but there is some breeze on the Neuse.

No update from Duke Energy – power still out for 2,656 customers in Pamlico County. Still “ASSESSING DAMAGE.”

7:33a Croakertown Coffee is open. It may look dark (no lights) but a generator out back is making power to make coffee.

7:16a If your power is out, you may not yet notice… but Spectrum internet is down. They were down 10 days at many locations after Florence. Spectrum is down in “downtown” Oriental, and some reader reports from the county also indicate no Spectrum service.

7:03a If we have to go without power for a bit, today is an OK day to do it. Sunny & mid 70s, low tonight 55.

On the water brisk northwest winds 15-20 knots.

Oriental’s Piggly Wiggly is open this morning – they have a generator.

Something is running as usual – the Cherry Branch ferry is all OK & on their regular schedule.

5:00a Well. Here we go again. Duke Energy has 4,069 customers in Pamlico County. Of those, 2,656 are without power this morning. Duke says there are “20 Outage Locations.” No estimate on restoration yet – just “ASSESSING DAMAGE.”

It does appear that Tideland Electric is operational at most locations in the county.

From TownDock on Sept 20 as Duke customers waited for power to return after Florence:

Now off the New Jersey coast, Storm Michael is now Post-Tropical Cyclone Michael. No further updates will be issued from the National Hurricane Center.

10:21p Power went out about 10p in “downtown” Oriental – and thus far it has stayed off. Here at TownDock Headquarters the generator was still handy after Florence…. now running.

Duke Energy says they are “assessing damage.”

8:15a Three power outages in the last 10 minutes, all less than a minute. Reader reports indicate they effected much of town.

7:53p The barometer has been going down and down all day (as it does as a storm approaches.) It has just begun to rise. Michael isn’t done yet, but he is on his way away:

click image for the big view

7:10p Being on the southeast side of the storm is good from the perspective that we won’t get a surge. But it is the windier side. The new high wind for the day – 58mph at 6:57p.

Not much rain… just 2/3 of an inch so far today.

5:16p A dry reminder – it may be 82 and clammy right now, with wind in the 40s… but. Friday will be sunny & crisp & clear with high temps just in the 70s.

5:05p Some impressive breeze around town in the last hour. NOAA/NHC’s 5p update still has Michael with max 50mph winds.

Michael apparently didn’t get the memo – the Oriental Weather Station measured 53mph at 4:04p.

At 5p the center of Tropical Storm Michael is about 20 miles north-northwest of Raleigh. Michael is moving at a crazy fast 24mph. This system is so fast that it will be off Nova Scotia Friday night, and what’s left of it will land at Ireland & the UK Monday morning.

Storm Michael links:
• Tropical Storm Michael Tracking Chart – includes rain & wind forecast images
• Tropical Storm Michael Forecaster’s Discussion & Computer Models
• Tropical Storm Michael Public Advisory
• Oriental NC Weather Forecast
• Oriental NC Weather Station
• Pamlico Sound Marine Forecast
• Neuse River Marine Forecast

3:48p Up another digit… 45mph measured at 3:44p.

1:57p Ladies, gentlemen… and TownDock readers. We have a new GustBowl contender… it hit 44mph at 1:49p.

In the 2p update, Michael still at 50mph max winds. Storm Micheal is haulin’ $#@ at 23mph to the northeast. Michael’s center is now at 35.7N 80.0W, that’s about 25 miles south of Greensboro.

1:15p Hold on to that hat. We had a 43mph gust at 1:00p. Here’s a view of today’s rising wind speeds from the Oriental Weather Station:

click image for the big view and a wind direction graphic

12:33p New high wind mark for today – 39mph at 12:18pm.

The latest from the National Hurricane Center:

The warning re higher tides and high water levels in the video will be true – but not here. The south and then southwest winds will mean lower water levels in Oriental this afternoon and this evening. In the northern Pamlico Sound they could get the opposite… higher levels from all that water getting pushed up there.

From Pamlico County:

The high winds (and lower water levels) have the Cherry Point Ferry on a reduced schedule:

12:20p Winds in the 30s out there right now. High wind so far today 36mph at 11:50a.

10:55a Michael still at 50 mph max winds. A look at Raleigh Weather Radar shows Winston Salem/Greensboro getting plenty of wet. Raleigh/Durham is getting rain too, but more from the edge of the storm right now.

It’s rather dry & sunny in beautiful downtown Oriental at this writing. Still forecast to get some (not much) wet this afternoon. We are now fortunate to be in a humble one inch rain zone.

There is a Tornado Watch til 9p locally. Also a Flash Flood Watch til Friday morning. Based on the conditions / forecast / wind direction… any flooding seems exceedingly unlikely.

10:02a There are winds in the 20s right now, but plenty of sunshine, too.

High wind so far 32mph (outer bands that hit overnight.)

Here’s a morning video from the National Hurricane Center on Michael:

It’s good info, but that guy needs a new tie.

8:11a Michael still just max winds 50mph. The afternoon & evening forecast has winds in the 20s & 30s, with perhaps a gust to 45. We’ll be fine.

The forecast winds are south & southwest. We won’t get high waters… in fact water levels will actually go down. You can see Hodges Street is dry on HarborCam.

The latest rainfall image moves it all farther inland… we are only forecast to get about an inch. A half-inch fell overnight.

click image for the big view

7:36a Last weekend the Ol’ Front Porch Music Festival took in donations for hurricane relief. So far, $6,292 has been raised.

Take a look at photos from the 2018 OFPMF.

7:20a After all this passes, we get a couple days of real autumn weather. Friday will be clear & dry, high mid 70s… then Friday night a great sleeping low in the mid 50s. Saturday’s high just low 70s.

You can almost see the fall colors.

From PCC:

5:01a We’re all going to die. Just not today.

Overnight Michael has weakened to a Tropical Storm. As of 5a Michael’s center is at 33.5N 82.5W – that’s about 30 miles west of Augusta, Georgia. Michael is moving really fast – now proceeding at 21 mph to the northeast. Max winds at 5a just 50mph – this storm has weakened even faster than forecast.

We’ve had brief visits from some of Michael’s distant outer bands in the past few hours. High wind in Oriental so far 32mph at 2:23a. Just over a half inch of rain has fallen since midnight.

Considering what this storm was yesterday, our forecast is really kind.

Updated Executive Summary: Michael is tracking a bit west of what was predicted yesterday… as a result we will get less wind & rain. This afternoon & evening we’ll see some winds in the 30s. Maybe some 40s. Total rain forecast now just 1 to 2 inches an inch. The sun will come up Friday morning.