Charlotte North Carolina News

Updated: 7:25 p.m.   There IS an end in sight. It’s just not anytime soon for those that need it the most. Even though all tropical storm warnings have been cancelled, the persistent heavy rain and flash flooding from Tropical Storm Florence will continue for several more hours in portions of North and South Carolina. The heavy rain and flood risk will then spread across the mid-state of North Carolina and areas along and north…

CHARLOTTE, NC (FOX 46 WJZY/AP) – Tropical Storm Florence keeps drenching the central Carolinas, with an additional 10 to 15 inches of rain expected before it finally swings north over the Appalachian Mountains and into the Ohio Valley on Monday.  The National Hurricane Center says top sustained winds have dropped to near 50 mph (80 kph) with higher gusts, and Florence is expected to become a tropical depression later Saturday.  At 5 a.m., the center…

The driving rain from Hurricane Florence in the canals on the evacuated Pawleys Island on September 14, 2018 in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)   The driving rain from Hurricane Florence in the canals on the evacuated Pawleys Island on September 14, 2018 in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. (Photo by Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images)   COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Torrential rains from Tropical Storm Florence will test South Carolina’s infrastructure, which failed under historic…

In this NOAA satellite handout image captured at 7:45 a.m. ET, shows Hurricane Florence as it made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on September 14, 2018. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)   In this NOAA satellite handout image captured at 7:45 a.m. ET, shows Hurricane Florence as it made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina on September 14, 2018. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)   WASHINGTON (AP) — Study after study shows…

Neighborhoods are flooded after the storm surge from Hurricane Florence flooded the Neuse River September 14, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)   Neighborhoods are flooded after the storm surge from Hurricane Florence flooded the Neuse River September 14, 2018 in New Bern, North Carolina. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)   NEW BERN, N.C. (AP) — A combination of heavy rains from Florence and a high tide has caused massive…

(FOX 46 WJZY) – Still miles away from the greater Charlotte area, the worst of Florence is still causing damage across the greater Charlotte area. In Charlotte, the sound of chainsaws could already be heard Friday evening as crews spent more than five hours clearing roads in Myers Park from debris and downed trees. A large tree came crashing down on a car just off Sharon Road. “All of a sudden, we hear the sound…

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – One city in North Carolina has picked up more than 23 inches (58 centimeters) of rain in two days from Tropical Storm Florence. The National Weather Service said on Twitter on Friday night that Morehead City had received 23.04 inches of rain with more heavy rain coming. Forecasters have issued what they call a a flash flood emergency , saying areas of surrounding Carteret County are flooding that have never flooded…

Especially during extreme weather, television meteorologists get lots of attention. But behind every successful TV weather report there’s a quiet force of 20,000 dedicated amateurs. Meet the “weather weenies,” a group of volunteers who diligently empty their rain gauges and record the results each morning. They’re participating in the national Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network, which goes by the acronym CoCoRaHS. The data these volunteers collect help fill in holes in the official…

GASTON COUNTY, NC (FOX 46 WJZY) – At a Friday conference call with FEMA, federal officials warned of widespread power outages, tree damage and “a lot of urban flooding issues.” “Heavy rain, flash flooding, still a major threat for the area,” FEMA told Gaston County officials. Eric Hendrix, the interim Gaston County emergency management coordinator and fire marshal, said they are “absolutely serious” about preparing. Hendrix warns it could take days for power to be…

The Carteret County Human Society is taking on water. Its roof is collapsing. The shelter needs immediate help to evacuate 123 dogs and cats, shelter manager Cassandra Tupaj told The News & Observer at 7:30 p.m. Friday. “We need large vehicles that can get through water,” Tupaj said. “I was told that it’s passable with an F250 (truck).” The shelter also needs a place, like a large business nearby, that can temporarily hold the 43…

National Hurricane Center predictions that Hurricane Florence would “pile up water” along the North Carolina coast came true on Friday, when the storm broke multiple tide records, some dating back more than six decades. A National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration tide gauge in Wrightsville Beach reached 4.11 feet above high tide on Friday, breaking a record set by Hurricane Joaquin in 2015 by more than a foot, NOAA officials said. That’s more than 4 feet…

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (KTVU) – A group of strangers from around the country came together to help a help a woman who was planning to “hunker down” with her seven dogs in Hurricane Florence.  As Christine Meinhold spoke on CNN about how she didn’t have a working car and was unable to evacuate from Myrtle Beach, people around the country became concerned.  Meinhold told CNN that she was responsible for her seven rescue dogs and refused to abandon…

North Carolina’s wild horse herd has weathered Florence’s fury. “They are survivors,” herd manager Meg Puckett told The News & Observer on Friday. Ahead of the storm, then a powerful Category 4, the Corolla Wild Horse Fund (CWHF), a nonprofit which manages the herd, posted on Facebook that the wild mustangs that make the Outer Banks their home would manage just fine without help, even in the face of heavy rain and hurricane-force winds. A…

American Red Cross Shelters in Charlotte are still registering people at local high schools to wait out Hurricane Florence. Officials at American Red Cross shelters set up to house people during Hurricane Florence are still busy registering local residents and those who evacuated from coastal areas. More than 360 people registered at the various area shelters by Thursday night, 55 at East Mecklenburg High School. The East Mecklenburg High shelter is one of 12 that…