By the numbers: 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season was third busiest on record

By the numbers: 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season was third busiest on record

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Tuesday marks the final day of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The forecast at the beginning of the season was that it would be more active than normal – and it ended up being our third most active season on record. “It started off strong and ended up with a whimper,” said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. We didn’t see any storms in October or November, so it may seem like…

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Active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends

Active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends

November 30, 2021 Flooding in Baltimore from Hurricane Ida (Photo: WJZ) NORTH CAROLINA (WWAY) — The active 2021 Atlantic hurricane season officially concludes Tuesday having produced 21 named storms, including seven hurricanes of which four were major hurricanes. “NOAA provided the science and services necessary to protect life and property before, during and after storms all season long,” said NOAA Administrator, Rick Spinrad, Ph.D. “From essential observations to advanced warnings to critical response actions, NOAA…

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North Carolina Forest Service issues statewide burn ban as wildfire on Pilot Mountain continues

North Carolina Forest Service issues statewide burn ban as wildfire on Pilot Mountain continues

It comes after a days-long fight to contain a massive wildfire on Pilot Mountain in addition to a dry autumn season across the Carolinas. PILOT MOUNTAIN, N.C. — The North Carolina Forest Service issued a statewide burn ban as of 5 p.m. Monday due to hazardous forest fire conditions. With the increased fire danger, N.C. Forest Service issued a ban on all open burning and all burning permits have been canceled statewide until further notice. …

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Over 200 acres of Pilot Mountain burned from wildfire

Over 200 acres of Pilot Mountain burned from wildfire

By WXII Pilot Mountain, N.C. — A wildfire on Pilot Mountain has burned over 200 acres as of Sunday night. The fire started around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday near the Grindstone Trail, according to NBC affiliate WXII. Fire officials said Pilot Mountain State Park would be closed Sunday, and likely the rest of the week, because of the wildfire. Firefighters are currently in “defensive operations” because of strong winds, reports WXII. A campground near the…

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Remembering Raleigh: Weekend marks anniversary of historic, deadly 1988 tornado

Remembering Raleigh: Weekend marks anniversary of historic, deadly 1988 tornado

By Heather Leah, WRAL multiplatform producer If you lived in Raleigh in November of 1988, you remember the tornado. The Kmart was flattened. Asbury United Methodist Church was destroyed. Some locals still remember crouching in their bathtubs while the walls shook around them. I was only five years old. I remember walking outside that evening, pointing at the clouds and saying to my mom, “They look weird. They look scary.” I didn’t know it meant…

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Winter rain floods Gaza homes damaged in last spring's war

Winter rain floods Gaza homes damaged in last spring's war

By FARES AKRAM, Associated Press BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip — The first rainstorm of winter sent water pouring into Ghalia al-Attar’s house through cracks in the walls and tin roof, as the widow, her children and grandchildren spread buckets across the floor. Their home was among tens of thousands that were damaged during the 11-day Gaza war in May between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the isolated and impoverished territory. Hundreds…

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Carolina Hurricanes give away 1,000 turkeys to local organizations

Carolina Hurricanes give away 1,000 turkeys to local organizations

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Just in time for Turkey Day, the Carolina Hurricanes are giving away turkeys to those in need. “This is the busiest day of the year for us. It’s like our Super Bowl,” said Nick Robertson from Urban Ministries. A more apt comparison might be the Stanley Cup Finals, since the Carolina Hurricanes were making the Wednesday morning deliveries. “We are very fortunate. With our friends at Harris Teeter, we are able…

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NOAA's hurricane hunter team getting new aircraft

NOAA's hurricane hunter team getting new aircraft

The agency’s been trying to get a new aircraft since 2019. The last two hurricane seasons have seen more storms than normal. LAKELAND, Fla — The Florida-based hurricane hunter team is getting a new aircraft to help chase fierce storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s team will add a Gulfstream 550 to the three other aircraft at its home base at the Lakeland Linder International Airport in central Florida, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The…

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NC State dorm floods after accidental sprinkler activation, over 400 students forced out

NC State dorm floods after accidental sprinkler activation, over 400 students forced out

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Flooding in Metcalf Residence Hall at North Carolina State University is forcing hundreds of students out of their dorms Monday night. University officials told WRAL News a student accidentally activated the sprinkler, injuring that student and forcing more than 400 other students to find somewhere else to stay. This chaotic scene forced students to wait hours to get inside and retrieve their belongings. Some students told WRAL…

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Hundreds of students forced out of NC State residence hall after flooding

Hundreds of students forced out of NC State residence hall after flooding

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Flooding in Metcalf Residence Hall at North Carolina State University is forcing hundreds of students out of their dorms Monday night. The cause of the flooding is believed to be a sprinkler that activated on the 11th floor. Students are being evacuated and cannot stay in the building Monday night. Many students say they have been waiting more than four hours to go inside and gather their…

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Louisiana launches $11M housing program for Hurricane Laura

Louisiana launches $11M housing program for Hurricane Laura

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Nearly 15 months after Hurricane Laura struck, Louisiana is kicking off $11.3 million in housing repair and rebuilding programs for the southwestern city of Lake Charles while it waits for hundreds of millions in promised federal aid to arrive. Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, and Lake Charles Mayor Nic Hunter, a Republican, announced the plans at a joint press conference Monday. The effort will be financed with federal housing…

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Canadian province sets gas, travel restrictions after floods

Canadian province sets gas, travel restrictions after floods

By JIM MORRIS, Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The British Columbia government announced Friday it is limiting the amount of fuel people can purchase at gas stations in some parts of the province and is restricting non-essential travel as highways begin to reopen following torrential rains that caused floods and mudslides. Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said non-essential vehicles will be limited to about 8 gallons (30 liters) per trip to the gas…

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Wildfires torched up to a fifth of all giant sequoia trees

Wildfires torched up to a fifth of all giant sequoia trees

By BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of giant sequoias this year, leading to a staggering two-year death toll that accounts for up to nearly a fifth of Earth’s largest trees, officials said Friday. Fires in Sequoia National Park and surrounding Sequoia National Forest tore through more than a third of groves in California and torched an estimated 2,261 to 3,637 sequoias, which are the largest trees by volume. Nearby…

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Analysis: 2022 primary elections in Texas merit a severe weather alert

Analysis: 2022 primary elections in Texas merit a severe weather alert

Editor’s note: If you’d like an email notice whenever we publish Ross Ramsey’s column, click here. If you would like to listen to the column, just click on the play button below. The first day of early voting in next year’s party primaries is also the anniversary of the polar vortex that froze most of Texas and crashed the state’s electric grid. You remember that week, whether you were in Texas living through it or…

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15 years since deadly tornado ripped through Riegelwood community

15 years since deadly tornado ripped through Riegelwood community

With winds reaching up 200 mph, the tornado traveled for seven miles, killing eight and injuring 21 others. November 16, 2021 Damage left behind from Riegelwood tornado in 2006. (Photo: WWAY) COLUMBUS COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Tuesday marked the 15th anniversary of the deadly tornado that swept through Columbus County. A F-3 tornado struck the Riegelwood community around 6:30 a.m. when many people were still asleep. Several homes were tossed off their foundation and others…

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