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Latest: Tornado warnings in Durham, Orange counties; Nicole drops rain across NC
Timing and path of Nicole
Nicole will move though the N.C. mountains as a tropical depression throughout Friday, bringing rain to our area. Nicole’s center of circulation on Friday was in Georgia, and the storm was moving north with winds at 35 mph. A tornado watch is in effect until 3 p.m. for the entire area.
Tornadoes in tropical depressions are typically weak and short-lived. Conditions are expected to be worst for the first half of the day, until 1 p.m., Gardner said. There may be a break in the rain Friday afternoon before more heavy bands of rain arrive by 4 or 5 p.m. The bulk of the rain should be over by 10 p.m.
Less than 2 inches of rain will fall in central N.C., and flooding and wind damage are not major concerns with this storm.
Live updates: Tornado warnings in Durham, Orange counties
9:50 a.m.: Tornado warnings are in effect until 10:15 a.m. for north and northwestern Durham, northeastern Orange, Person and Granville counties after radar detected circulation east of Hillsborough. The storm will impact Rougemont, Bahama, Lake Michie, Lake Butner and Eno River State Park. Read up on tornado safety tips.
Activity was detected north of downtown Durham. People in tall buildings in downtown Durham need to move to a safe place.
9:30 a.m.: More than 1,500 customers are without power in the Holly Springs Road and Sunset Lake Road area in Holly Springs. WRAL News is working to learn if the outages are connected to Nicole.
Heavy rain, isolated tornadoes in NC
Much of the state is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather on Friday, when heavy rain is expected in our area.
According to WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth, it won’t rain all day, we’ll see heavy bands of rain move through all the way into Friday night.
The bulk of the rain will fall in waves on Friday. Saturday will be mostly dry.
Winds will be strong, but not likely to cause significant damage in N.C., although there is a threat for some power outages and isolated tornadoes. It is likely our area could go under a tornado watch, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.
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The latest models forecast wind gusts of up to 40 mph in the Triangle and up to 2 inches of rain, which is not expected to cause flooding. Wilmoth expects 1.5 inches in the Triangle.
Gusty winds, isolated tornadoes, power outages and downpours will be possible.
The Triangle area should expect to see sustained winds of 15 to 20 mph on Friday, with some gusts up to 35 to 40 mph Friday evening. Isolated and brief tornadoes are possible. Heavy rain is expected as bands move through the Triangle.
“The mountains are likely to see the heaviest rain from this system,” Gardner said, between 3 and 4 inches, and flash flooding and mudslides will be possible.
The coastal forecast is similar to central N.C., with up to 2 inches of rain and isolated tornadoes possible.
NC preps for Nicole’s impact
On Friday morning, only five flights were canceled at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, a fairly typical number.
In the Triangle, Duke Energy is preparing for remnants of the storm to hit the Carolinas.
Duke Energy officials on Thursday told customers to prepare for Nicole with a stock of candles, batteries, medications, flashlights and other supplies.
Jeff Brooks, a spokesperson with Duke Energy, said 6,000 line and tree workers are ready to respond if the power goes out.
“There are more than 4 million customers in Carolina, a few million more in Florida, so this is a big storm impacting a lot of our service area,” Brooks said. “Heavy rain and gusty winds can loosen tree roots and bring trees down on power lines — even though [Nicole] is weaker, it’s affecting a large portion of the state.”
“We will have crews out working as long as it is safe to do so,” Brooks added.
Customers who experience an outage during a storm can report it on the Duke Energy mobile app or by texting OUT to 57801.
Power outages in central and eastern N.C. are expected to be isolated.
The Red Cross of Eastern North Carolina has volunteers and staff once again providing food, shelter and comfort for Floridians. They have sent several waves of volunteers to help with recovery, and another wave of volunteers will go this weekend for continued support.
Hurricane season officially extends through Nov. 30, although storms like this are more likely in September and October. Only four hurricanes have made landfall in the United States in the month of November since 1851.