Good morning Wilmington!

A big thank you to the Rotary Club of Wilmington and all the volunteers who rolled up their sleeves for the Azalea Sweep cleanup at Greenfield Park! Their hard work helps keep our city beautiful just in time for the Azalea Festival this weekend.

Keep your eye out for potentially severe weather today!

In today’s Port City Pulse:

• Largest Ship Ever Docks at Port of Wilmington

• Rotary Club Joins Volunteers for Azalea Sweep Cleanup at GFL

Largest Ship Ever Docks at Port of Wilmington, Setting New Record

[FOX] The Port of Wilmington hit a milestone this weekend as The ZIM Mount Rainier, the largest vessel to ever call the port, docked on Saturday. The 1,200-foot-long ship, powered by liquefied gas, can carry over 15,000 containers. This marks the first of many ships of this size expected to visit Wilmington as part of ZIM’s transpacific service. A plaque was presented to the captain to commemorate the occasion before the ship’s scheduled departure Monday morning.

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Rotary Club Joins Volunteers for Azalea Sweep Cleanup at Greenfield Park

Members of the Rotary Club of Wilmington and their families joined together with dozens of other volunteers to participate in the Azalea Festival's Azalea Sweep clean up at Greenfield Park on Saturday, March 29. After cleaning up trash for two hours, all Azalea Sweep volunteers joined together for a lunch at Husk hosted by the Azalea Festival.

News Roundup

Local

• National Weather Service Launches First-Ever Rip Current Awareness Week in the Carolinas – The National Weather Service is offering safety tips to beachgoers as part of the inaugural Carolinas Rip Current Awareness Week. The campaign aims to educate the public on the dangers of rip currents and provide lifesaving guidance. WECT

• Developers Discuss New Hotel Plans with Carolina Beach Residents – A proposed hotel development in Carolina Beach has sparked discussions between developers and local residents, who have voiced concerns over traffic and environmental impacts. The developers are considering changes to address community feedback. WECT

• Waterline Brewing Co. Wins Annual Battle of the Breweries Blood Drive – Waterline Brewing Co. has been named the winner of this year’s Battle of the Breweries Blood Drive, an event promoting community blood donations. The competition helped raise awareness for blood shortages in the region. WECT

Western North Carolina

• Evacuations Continue as North Carolina Mountain Wildfires Spread Rapidly – Wildfires in Western North Carolina have forced additional evacuations as dry conditions and strong winds fuel the flames. Firefighters are struggling to contain multiple blazes threatening homes and businesses. MSN

What You Need to Know

• Delta Flight and Military Jet in Close Call Near Washington, D.C. – A Delta Airlines flight and a military jet came dangerously close to colliding near Reagan National Airport, prompting an FAA investigation. The incident has raised concerns about air traffic control protocols in high-security airspace. CNN

What Might Surprise You

• Scientists Propose 'Ethically Sourced' Spare Human Bodies for Medical Research – A new medical proposal suggests creating human bodies for spare parts, sparking ethical debates over the future of organ donation and bioengineering. Researchers claim this approach could revolutionize transplant medicine. MIT Technology Review

World News

• Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Thailand, Shaking Bangkok – A strong earthquake struck northern Thailand, causing buildings in Bangkok to sway and prompting concerns about aftershocks. No significant damage or injuries have been reported so far. AP News

• France’s Marine Le Pen Found Guilty of Embezzlement – French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has been convicted of embezzling public funds, dealing a major blow to her political career. The ruling could impact her party’s prospects in future elections. Wall Street Journal

Weather

SUMMARY
The next three days in Wilmington, NC, will feature mild weather with temperatures ranging from the high 60s to low 70s. Monday will be partly cloudy with a low chance of precipitation, followed by mostly sunny skies on Tuesday with a slight increase in rain probability. Wednesday brings partly cloudy conditions again with minimal precipitation risk. Winds will shift from south to north, then east, with speeds between 12-16 mph.

WEATHER FORECAST
Mon Mar 31: Partly Cloudy | 71° / 62° | 7% | S 13 mph
Tue Apr 01: Mostly Sunny | 70° / 58° | 24% | N 12 mph
Wed Apr 02: Partly Cloudy | 69° / 65° | 10% | E 16 mph

TIDE FORECAST
Mon Mar 31:
9:32am: 4.26 ft (High Tide)
3:38pm: -0.96 ft (Low Tide)
9:58pm: 5.13 ft (High Tide)

Tue Apr 01:
4:24am: -0.61 ft (Low Tide)
10:26am: 4.01 ft (High Tide)
4:25pm: -0.74 ft (Low Tide)
10:53pm: 4.95 ft (High Tide)

Wed Apr 02:
5:20am: -0.29 ft (Low Tide)
11:23am: 3.77 ft (High Tide)
5:17pm: -0.42 ft (Low Tide)
11:51pm: 4.70 ft (High Tide)

SURF FORECAST
Mon Mar 31:
Surf conditions will range from 2-3 ft in the morning to 2-4 ft in the afternoon. Expect fair to choppy conditions based on regional trends, though specific wind and swell data are only available for a later date (Fri Apr 4: SSW wind at 12 mph, primary SE swell 2.4 ft @ 8 sec, secondary S swell 2.2 ft @ 5 sec).

Weather data derived from: weather.com, tide data from marineweather.net, and surf data from surfcaptain.com.

Monday

Tuesday