Downtown Wilmington prepares as record high river crest expected

WILMINGTON, NC (StarNews) — On Saturday afternoon, the foot of Market Street downtown looked the same as it did before Hurricane Florence, with sandbags stacked at the ready in front of every business.

Just a few hours later, the Cape Fear River, just feet away, will again swell to high tide, flooding Water Street and rising well up Market Street. But moving toward the end of the weekend and into Monday night, the situation is more dire.

The river is expected to crest at and tie a record high of 8.2 feet on Monday night, according to the National Weather Service Wilmington’s latest projection as of 3 p.m. Saturday.

“This could change drastically, depending on what happens up stream,” said meteorologist Jordan Baker.

For downtown residents and business owners, this means more flooding on the horizon more than a week after Florence passed through the region.

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