Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

The Weather Channel's Video On What The Effects Of Hurricane Flooding Could Look Like Is Freaking People The Hell Out

The Weather Channel's Video On What The Effects Of Hurricane Flooding Could Look Like Is Freaking People The Hell Out
(The Weather Channel/YouTube)

The Weather Channel is reminding North Carolina residents in the path of Hurricane Florence to heed evacuation warnings before it's too late.

And nothing is more motivational than a virtual reality demonstration of the monster storm's devastating effects.


To incentivize residents to pack their bags, the Weather Channel provided a digital rendering of the flood occurring on typical dry land, engulfing the meteorologist.

Take a look at the YouTube video, below:


The presentation is called "immersive mixed reality," according to Ren LaForme, who reported on the video for Poynter.

The convincing digital portrayal was created in partnership with the augmented reality company, The Future Group, by using Unreal Engine to render the graphics that looked all too real for many North Carolina residents.

Unreal Engine is a popular video game developer known for creating "Fortnite" and "Ark: Survival Evolved."

"Rather than creating effects and rendering them in post-production, the process used to create visuals for most films, the Unreal Engine builds effects in real time."


Michael Potts, vice president of design at The Weather Channel, hopes the visual aid will be more effective in conveying the urgency of safety precautions during the storm.

Potts stated:

"The takeaway is that there are ways to remain safe, to have a plan, and to see all that valuable information in a way that isn't just four lines on a chart."





The presentation is really driving the point home for viewers in the Carolinas and beyond.




Water levels indeed rose as the storm slowly moved inland. The devastation is immediately evident and heartbreaking.

"You can walk faster than this storm is moving," said Wilmington, North Carolina's mayor, Bill Saffo. While the storm stalls it continues to drop rain in the affected areas, raising water levels even more.



Many of the beautiful trees in Wilmington were ravaged by the flood and disappeared.

Meteorologist Marshall Shepherd told The Verge that the hurricane bringing torrential downpour of rain is "a recipe for a flooding disaster."

The National Hurricane Center predicted Florence will bring deadly storm surges resulting in flood levels up to 11 feet high.

To give their statistics a visual reference people could relate to, the NHC provided an illustration showing the varying heights at which the flood can reach by using a home occupied by a family. In the storm surge flooding chart, a nine-foot water level is indicated as red and can easily submerge a single-floor household.



As of Friday, 600,000 homes were without power and 2,100 flights into North Carolina canceled through Saturday.

H/T - YouTube, Twitter, Poynter, Verge, CBS

More from Trending

Country Singer Gavin Adcock went on a drunken rant over Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" success.
Danielle Del Valle/Getty Images; Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Country singer rants over Beyoncé album

Country singer Gavin Adcock became the title of his next album, “Own Worst Enemy,” after going on an unhinged rant about the legitimacy of Beyoncé's Grammy-winning and record-breaking Cowboy Carter in the country music genre.

Adcock, whose upcoming album is set for release next month, was filmed during a live performance last weekend, complaining that Beyoncé and her album are not “country music.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Dionne Warwick; Tiny Chef
Astrida Valigorsky/Getty Images; @ToonHive/X

Dionne Warwick Is Ready To Go To War With Nickelodeon Over 'Tiny Chef' Cancellation

You know your campaign against a show's cancellation is achieving widespread attention when you get people like venerated singer Dionne Warwick advocating for you.

Nickelodeon's The Tiny Chef Show was recently cancelled, much to the dismay of its viewers and creators. It was also a genuinely surprising decision, since the show has won an Emmy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Woman relaxing in sunhat and sunglasses
Photo by Jordan Bauer on Unsplash

People Explain Which 'Small Luxuries' They Can't Live Without

Many of us have committed to being fairly financially frugal and not overspending on silly, unnecessary things.

That is to say, sometimes, it's fun to splurge on something one time to see what it's like to experience that small luxury.

Keep ReadingShow less
two women in emotional distress seated on couch
Ben White on Unsplash

People Who've Experienced Grief Share The Most Tone-Deaf Things They've Heard

Grief, loss, trauma are all part of life. But for most people, the emotions and reactions that go with them are difficult to witness.

So they rely on platitudes to fill any holes in conversation. That's rarely a good idea.

Keep ReadingShow less
Donald Trump
Mehmet Eser/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Demands 'Boss Of AT&T' Fix Equipment After Failed Conference Call In Bizarre Meltdown

When most of us have technical difficulties, we contact tech support or customer service.

But if you're President of the United States, just ranting on social media—then having your White House Press Secretary post a screenshot of your post on a social media platform people actually use—is apparently the answer.

Keep ReadingShow less