Author: WeatherPreppers

By Monica Casey, WRAL Durham reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Since Friday thousands of Triangle residents have been dealing with power outages and damage in the aftermath of severe weather. On Saturday morning, more than 40,000 people in the Raleigh area woke up without power. As of Saturday afternoon, the number of customers without power in the Raleigh area was down to just under 20,000. Around 2,800 were still without power as of Sunday around 9…

By Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Since Friday thousands of Triangle residents have been dealing with power outages and damage in the aftermath of severe weather. On Saturday morning, more than 40,000 people in the Raleigh area woke up without power. As of Saturday afternoon, the number of customers without power in the Raleigh area was down to just under 20,000. Around 2,800 were still without power as of Sunday around 9 a.m….

By JOSEPH WILSON, Associated Press BARCELONA, Spain — Firefighters in Spain and Germany struggled to contain wildfires on Sunday amid an unusual heat wave in Western Europe for this time of year. The worst damage in Spain has been in the northwest province of Zamora where over 25,000 hectares (61,000 acres) have been consumed, regional authorities said, while German officials said that residents of three villages near Berlin were ordered to leave their homes because…

HELENA, Mont. — The devastating flooding that occurred along the Yellowstone River this week constitutes a 1 in 500-year event, according to a US Geological Survey (USGS) news release. Unprecedented rain and rapid snowmelt in recent days have caused rivers in parts of Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho to burst their banks, swallowing bridges and sweeping away entire sections of roadway. More than 10,000 visitors to Yellowstone National Park have been forced to evacuate. All entrances…

By Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter & Maggie Brown, WRAL multiplatform producer Raleigh, N.C. — A band of severe thunderstorms brought down trees and knocked out power to thousands across the Triangle on Friday evening. Residents went to bed on Friday night without power in both Wake and Durham counties. Many of those same families woke up this morning still without power. On Saturday morning, more than 40,000 people in the Raleigh area were waking up…

Raleigh, N.C. — The City of Raleigh said Friday evening that Saturday’s Oberlin Village Heritage 5K at Dix Park has ben canceled due to damage at the park from Friday’s storms. The city said Friday’s severe weather brought down multiple trees and power lines and rendered the race course area unsafe. The city said this was not a decision they take lightly, but do consider this a safety issue. It is unclear at this time…

By Brian Shrader, WRAL meteorologist Patti Clapper was watching WRAL-TV the afternoon of April 16, 2011. From her home near Holly Springs, she listened to meteorologists Mike Maze and Nate Johnson as they tracked the largest one-day tornado outbreak on record in North Carolina. “I heard Nate start mentioning streets,” Clapper said. “I heard him say the street right down the street from me.” She called her children downstairs and looked out the window. “I…

DEER PARK, Texas — Brenda and Rick Spencer found out that their daughter Ainsley, now 30, had Down syndrome the day she was born. They called it “one of the hardest days of our lives,” remembering the feelings of anxiety from not being able to see their baby until 14 hours after the birth. Ainsley spent 10 days in the NICU before her parents could finally bring her home. They explained that the first few…

STURGIS, Mich. — Less than two weeks after restarting production at their beleaguered Sturgis, Michigan plant, Abbott says they have once again been forced to halt production at the facility — after heavy rain, thunderstorms, hail, power outages and flood damage ravaged the area, ABC News first reported. “These torrential storms produced significant rainfall in a short period of time – overwhelming the city’s stormwater system in Sturgis, Michigan, and resulting in flooding in parts…