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July 8, 2025 - Tropical Storm Chantal Drenches the Carolinas
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On July 5, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Chantal barreling towards landfall on the South Carolina coast. The asymmetric appearance gives evidence that the storm was battling substantial windshear as it approached the mainland.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), southerly windshear kept the system tilted and disorganized during daylight hours on June 5. However, the shear relaxed late in the day, allowing Chantal to strengthen before landfall. On July 6 at 4:00 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Chantal moved across the coast near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina carrying maximum sustained winds near 60 miles per hour (96.5 km/h).
Tropical Storm Chantal proved to be a heavy rainmaker in the Carolinas, dropping as much as 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) along a wide swath across both South and North Carolina. The NWS advised that a tornado touched down near the Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina at 4:27 a.m. EDT on July 6, causing damage to trees and roofs. Flash flooding in North Carolina has been reported by local media, with the NWS in Raleigh advising that the Haw River was cresting at 32.5 feet, which is just below record levels brought by Hurricane Fran in 1996. Chantal weakened and was downgraded to a post-tropical storm on July 6 as it moved northward away from the Carolinas, but it still remained a strong rainmaker.
At 11:00 am EDT on July 7, the National Hurricane Center advised that the center of the system was located about 30 miles (50 km) north-northeast of Newport News, Virginia and about 120 miles (190 km) south-southwest of Dover, Delaware. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour (45 km/h) and was moving towards the northeast.
Flood watches were in effect for portions of Southern and Eastern Maryland, the state of Delaware, portions of Southern New Jersey, and portions of Southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, life-threatening rip currents are expected along the East Coast of the United States from the northeastern coast of Florida to the Mid-Atlantic States for the next several days. Chantal is forecast to dissipate by late on July 8, although remnants may continue to bring rain to the Mid Atlantic and Northeast regions beyond that date.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/5/2025
Resolutions:
1km (536.4 KB), 500m (1.7 MB), 250m (4.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On July 5, 2025, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of Tropical Cyclone Chantal barreling towards landfall on the South Carolina coast. The asymmetric appearance gives evidence that the storm was battling substantial windshear as it approached the mainland.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), southerly windshear kept the system tilted and disorganized during daylight hours on June 5. However, the shear relaxed late in the day, allowing Chantal to strengthen before landfall. On July 6 at 4:00 a.m. EDT, Tropical Storm Chantal moved across the coast near Litchfield Beach, South Carolina carrying maximum sustained winds near 60 miles per hour (96.5 km/h).
Tropical Storm Chantal proved to be a heavy rainmaker in the Carolinas, dropping as much as 4-6 inches (10-15 cm) along a wide swath across both South and North Carolina. The NWS advised that a tornado touched down near the Wilmington International Airport in North Carolina at 4:27 a.m. EDT on July 6, causing damage to trees and roofs. Flash flooding in North Carolina has been reported by local media, with the NWS in Raleigh advising that the Haw River was cresting at 32.5 feet, which is just below record levels brought by Hurricane Fran in 1996. Chantal weakened and was downgraded to a post-tropical storm on July 6 as it moved northward away from the Carolinas, but it still remained a strong rainmaker.
At 11:00 am EDT on July 7, the National Hurricane Center advised that the center of the system was located about 30 miles (50 km) north-northeast of Newport News, Virginia and about 120 miles (190 km) south-southwest of Dover, Delaware. It was carrying maximum sustained winds of 30 miles per hour (45 km/h) and was moving towards the northeast.
Flood watches were in effect for portions of Southern and Eastern Maryland, the state of Delaware, portions of Southern New Jersey, and portions of Southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, life-threatening rip currents are expected along the East Coast of the United States from the northeastern coast of Florida to the Mid-Atlantic States for the next several days. Chantal is forecast to dissipate by late on July 8, although remnants may continue to bring rain to the Mid Atlantic and Northeast regions beyond that date.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/5/2025
Resolutions:
1km (536.4 KB), 500m (1.7 MB), 250m (4.7 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
