Climatologists say changing weather patterns make storms like Chantal more common
BELL. THE NASDAQ CLOSED AT A
RECORD HIGH.
>> WITHIN A MATTER OF HOURS,
TROPICAL DEPRESSION CHANTAL
DROPPED INCHES OF RAIN ACROSS
THE TRIANGLE. YOU'VE SEEN THE
IMAGES CAUSING MAJOR, MAJOR
DESTRUCTION HERE. NOW, NORTH
CAROLINA CLIMATOLOGISTS ARE
STUDYING ITS COURSE AND SAY
NORTH CAROLINIANS MAY NEED TO
WATCH OUT FOR MORE STORMS LIKE
IT. WRAL'S HEIDI KIRK EXPLAINS
THE CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS
AND HOW YOU CAN PREPARE FOR
THE NEXT TROPICAL STORM.
>> IT'S A STORM THAT ROLLED IN
OVER A HOLIDAY WEEKEND.
BREAKING DEMS, CRESTING RIVERS
AND FLOODING ROADS, HOMES AND
BUSINESSES. IT'S ALSO THE TYPE
OF STORM THAT CLIMATOLOGISTS
SAY NORTH CAROLINIANS MAY NEED
TO WATCH OUT FOR. I THINK WHAT
WE'VE LEARNED FROM SENT HALAS
THAT NO MATTER HOW STRONG THE
STORM IS, WHAT ITS WINDS LOOK
LIKE EVEN WHEN IT'S CLASSIFIED
AS WE CAN SEE THIS THREAT OF
HEAVY RAIN ANYWHERE IN THE
STATE FROM ANY SORT OF TROPICAL
SYSTEM CLIMATOLOGIST. COREY
DAVIS, AS TROPICAL SYSTEMS ARE
CHANGING IN NORTH CAROLINA.
WE'RE SEEING MORE WITH
CHARACTERISTICS OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS DROPPING
EXCESSIVE RAIN IN UNEXPECTED
PLACES. SO IT WAS SO SURPRISING
WITH THIS STORM IS THAT NOT
ONLY DID THAT BRING BIG
RAINFALL TOTALS WITH THOSE
TOTALS CAME VERY FAR INLAND.
HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY FROM THE
COAST OR EVEN SOME OF OUR BIG
HURRICANES. WE HAVEN'T REALLY
ELSE LIKE THAT. NOW IN THE
PAST, YOU MAY NOT HAVE PAID TOO
MUCH ATTENTION TO ANY OF THESE
TROPICAL SYSTEMS. BUT DAVIS
SAID NOW YOU MIGHT WANT TO
KNOWING THE TYPE OF DAMAGE THAT
THEY CAN CAUSE WRAL.
METEOROLOGIST KAT CAMPBELL SAYS
WE'VE ALREADY SURPASSED THE
NUMBER OF DAMAGE REPORTS IN THE
TRIANGLE FROM LAST YEAR.
LAST YEAR WE HAD 568 REPORTS
OF DAMAGE. THIS YEAR. WE'RE
ONLY JUST OVER HALFWAY THROUGH
THE YEAR. WE'VE ALREADY
SURPASSED THAT NUMBER. IT HAD
574 REPORTS OF DAMAGE. THAT'S
A TREND THAT'S BEING SEEN IN
OTHER PLACES JUST THIS WEEK,
TEXAS AND NEW MEXICO ALSO
RECOVERING FROM DAMAGE CAUSED
BY FLOODING.
>> SHAWN TOLLESON JUST THE
LATEST TO MAKE ITS MARK ON OUR