Port City Living is where we talk about what life in the Wilmington, North Carolina area is really like. I’m Billy Corbett—a local lifer and real estate agent—and each episode covers the good, the messy, the overpriced, the hidden gems, and the honest reality behind buying and selling in coastal NC. No fluff. Just the real story.
Hurricane Season in Wilmington, NC – Should You Be Worried?
Episode 10: Season Finale: Hurricane Season in Wilmington, NC – Should You Be Worried?
Hurricanes are one of the first things people ask about when they're thinking about moving to Wilmington, North Carolina. So instead of giving you a weather report, I'm giving you something better—my perspective.
I've lived in the Wilmington area my entire life, and I've experienced everything from tropical storms to major hurricanes like Fran and Florence. In this episode, I share what it was really like living through those storms, what I've learned over the years, and why respecting hurricane season is important without letting it scare you away from coastal living.
In the season finaly of Port City Living, We'll talk about:
My personal memories of Hurricane Fran (1996) and Hurricane Florence (2018)
Why preparation matters more than panic
Flood insurance and why it's worth considering—even if you're not in a designated flood zone
What hurricane season is actually like for those of us who call the North Carolina coast home
Why I still believe Wilmington is one of the best places to live
If you've ever wondered what it's really like to live on the coast during hurricane season, this episode is for you.
Helpful Resources & Hurricane Information
🌀 National Hurricane Center (Current storms, forecasts & preparedness)
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/ (https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/)
🌦️ National Weather Service – Wilmington, NC
https://www.weather.gov/ilm/ (https://www.weather.gov/ilm/)
📊 Top 20 Strongest Storms in Wilmington History
https://www.weather.gov/ilm/Top_20_Storms (https://www.weather.gov/ilm/Top_20_Storms)
A few interesting facts:
• Hurricane Fran made landfall near Cape Fear on September 5, 1996, producing wind gusts over 100 mph in parts of southeastern North Carolina.
• Hurricane Floyd (1999) remains the strongest storm to directly impact Wilmington based on barometric pressure and produced catastrophic inland flooding across eastern North Carolina.
• Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach on September 14, 2018, becoming the wettest weather event in Wilmington's recorded history with 23.02 inches of rain measured at Wilmington International Airport.
Thanks for listening to Port City Living! If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who's thinking about making Wilmington home.
2 Jul 2026
Hurricane Season
Hurricane season is part of life in Wilmington, North Carolina — but it’s not always as dramatic as people imagine, and it’s definitely not something you can fully understand from a weather map.
In this episode of Port City Living, Billy shares what hurricane season feels like from the perspective of someone who grew up here, lived through storms like Fran and Florence, and has watched the Wilmington area change over the years.
This is a conversation about coastal living, local memory, storm anxiety, preparation without panic, and the strange rhythm of waiting, watching, wondering, and sometimes realizing the storm had other plans.
If you’re new to Wilmington, thinking about moving to the coast, or just curious about what hurricane season is really like here, this episode offers a personal, honest look at living with hurricanes in southeastern North Carolina.
4 Jun 2026
The Lake
There's a place in Wilmington you've almost certainly walked, jogged, or paddled around — and most people have no idea what they're really standing on.
Before it became one of the most beloved green spaces in the city, it was a rice plantation worked by enslaved people. Over the years it's been a millpond, an amusement park, a small-town zoo, and the backdrop for one very wild night involving a runaway circus elephant. And that scenic five-mile road you love so much? It was built by men in chains during the Great Depression.
In this episode, I dig into the layered, unfiltered history of Greenfield Lake — the beauty of it and the weight of it — and why this old millpond just might be the reason Wilmington still has a soul.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Contact Port City Living
Guest appearances
Does not typically book guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Port City Living?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
