The third storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season — and the first to make landfall in the US — Tropical Storm Chantal caused significant damage in North Carolina over the holiday weekend, leaving lasting remnants.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has closed 120 roads due to flooding through Alamance County, including I-40/85. On Tuesday Governor Josh Stein is scheduled to visit the area to survey damage. Alamance, Person, Moore, and Orange counties have been declared states of emergency.
Chantal made landfall on the East Coast Sunday morning. Although it was soon downgraded to a tropical depression, the storm remained powerful. Some parts of Alamance, Orange, and Chatham counties received more than 10 inches of rain, resulting in major flooding and widespread power outages. By Monday morning, more than 23,000 people were without electricity.
The counties also faced multiple tornado warnings Sunday night, with two tornado sightings reported.
Rivers Reach Record Levels
Various bodies of water rose to historic levels across the peidmont, causing extensive damage. In Alamance County, the Haw River crested at 32.5 feet, the second-highest level on record — just below Hurricane Fran in 1996, which crested at 32.83 feet.
The Eno River in Orange County reached a new record height, cresting at 25.63 feet.
In Mebane, residents were warned of a voluntary evacuation due to a possible dam failure at Lake Michael. The dam remained intact, but residents remain on alert in case more rain arrives in the coming days.
Mebane is under a zero-level water usage alert because of flooding at its water treatment plant. Several nearby communities are also under a boil water advisory due to damage to a main water line. As of Monday evening, those alerts remain in effect.
Saxapahaw Flooded, Power Cut
In Saxapahaw, also in Alamance County, a main bridge was completely covered by the overflowing Haw River. Although the water has now receded slightly, flooding impacted a couple of apartment buildings and a building housing multiple businesses. Bottom floors were inundated, and some cars were almost completely submerged at the peak of the flooding.
Most of the village remains without power, with some residents estimating it could take at least a week for service to be restored.
One building in the village shows watermarks from the two worst floods in its history. The peak of this flood was well over the mark from Hurricane Fran in 1996, and just below the highest recorded mark from a major flood in 1945.
A Saxapahaw resident and owner of one of the buildings described it as a “hundred-year flood,” stating that he had been in the area since the 1960s and had never seen anything like it.
Chapel Hill and Durham Also Impacted
Chapel Hill and Durham were hit hard by Chantal, with major flooding reported in multiple areas. Officials reported more than 80 completed rescues in the two cities, particularly in areas around the Eno River.
Numerous restaurants and businesses were flooded overnight, sustaining extensive damage inside.
Less than a year after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, recovery and cleanup have begun from another major storm — this time, just a tropical storm.
Officials say that this week serves as a reminder that no matter the initial severity of the storm, flooding often follows in the days after a storm comes ashore.
Overnight we saw roadways flooded and damaged and some people had to leave home in central NC. @NCEmergency, @NCDOT, and @NCSHP are working closely with communities to keep folks safe. Please follow the advice of local officials.
— Governor Josh Stein (@NC_Governor) July 7, 2025
The post Chantal devastates central North Carolina with historic flooding first appeared on Carolina Journal.