North Carolina News

By Aimee Wilmoth, WRAL meteorologist Raleigh, N.C. — Although there is no severe weather threat in place, there could be a strong storm or two before the sun sets tonight. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be likely in the Triangle Friday afternoon and evening. Though there’s no threat in place, Friday’s storms could produce heavy rain, flooding, wind gusts and lightning. Even though it will be humid, the temperature will be noticeably cooler than what…

By Henry Fountain, New York Times Following a record number of Atlantic Ocean storms over the past two months, including five that struck the United States, government scientists on Thursday updated their forecast for the remainder of the hurricane season, saying it was likely to be extremely active. “It’s shaping up to be one of the most active seasons on record,” said Louis Uccellini, director of the National Weather Service. Gerry Bell, the lead hurricane…

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — As those heartbreaking images came in from Bertie County Tuesday morning following Hurricane Isaias and the deadly tornado it spawned, little was known about the heroism that had played out there overnight. One of those heroes is a firefighter at Raleigh Fire Station 14 — who returned home this week with a harrowing tale. PHOTOS: Hurricane Isaias brings damaging winds, rain to the Carolinas “As we approached that town, the…

OAK ISLAND, N.C. (WTVD) — Heavy machinery is out on Oak Island removing sand from the streets, and crews are working to dig out utility boxes. The electricity is cut off at more than 2,500 households. Gov. Roy Cooper arrived on the island Thursday to see the efforts firsthand. “I don’t think any state in the country is better prepared or knows how to handle storms better than North Carolina,” he said. “It’s hard enough…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Windsor, N.C. — Along Morning Road in Windsor, nobody could sleep early Tuesday as Hurricane Isaias blew across the region. Certainly not 13-year-old Zacahariah Hall and his two younger brothers. “We were watching TV, and then all the lights just went out, and I hard a big boom. And all of a sudden, our house started flipping. I was holding onto both my brothers. I was trying to grab and…

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — Two Raleigh firefighters are credited with helping save the lives of two elderly brothers trapped in debris after a tornado spawned by Hurricane Isaias. They were among nine Raleigh firefighters deployed to Williamston ahead of the storm and ended up responding to the devastation near Windsor in Bertie County where an EF-3 tornado touched down with winds of up to 140 mph. “It looked like just bits and pieces,” Capt….

RALEIGH (WTVD) — NOAA is now calling for an “extremely active” hurricane season. The group released its annual August update to the 2020 hurricane season outlook that’s originally issued in May. NOAA said this is one of the most active season forecast that the agency has produced in their 22-year history of producing outlooks In May, NOAA called for an “above normal” hurricane season, including 13-19 named storms, 6-10 hurricanes, 3-6 major hurricanes. In the…

LOS ANGELES (WTVD) — Greg Skeens thought he had lost his best friend. The Apple Fire burning in California separated Skeens from his Austrailian Cattle Dog named Buck. The fire started coming over the hill behind Skeens’ home. “It was one big orange flame all the way around the house, and I thought… I thought we were going to die.” The flames pushed right up to Skeens’ deck, but firefighters stood their ground and saved…

CAIRO — Seasonal torrential rains have wreaked havoc on houses and infrastructure across Sudan, affecting more than 50,000 people, the United Nations said. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan said late Wednesday that 14 of Sudan’s 18 provinces have experienced flooding in recent days. North Darfur, White Nile, Sennar and Kassala states are the latest to report storms and flooding, the report said. In North Darfur, at least 600 internally…

FRYING PAN TOWER, N.C. — The Frying Pan Tower is auctioning off Old Glory “Constance” to benefit those in the Oak Island and Southport area that was hit hardest by Hurricane Isaias. Old Glory “Constance” flew as Hurricane Isaias made landfall on North Carolina on Monday. At least seven people were killed as Isaias battered the East Coast. Out of those seven, two people were killed in Bertie County by an EF-3 tornado spawned by…

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Raleigh, N.C. — Storm chances are going up over the next few days. There will be a chance for storms Wednesday overnight. Thursday will bring another chance for severe weather. Potential damage will include heavy rain, damaging wind and localized flooding. Thursday morning will have a 40% chance of rain. It will then increarse to a 50% chance of rain in the afternoon, before dropping to a 30% chance for…

By Amanda Lamb, WRAL reporter Bald Head Island, N.C. — The remote nature of Bald Head Island – accessible only by boat – is part of its appeal for residents and visitors alike. But it also makes island life more precarious, especially after a storm like Hurricane Isaias. As the Category 1 hurricane roared ashore about 25 miles to the west at Ocean Isle Beach late Monday, it spun out a tornado that cut across…

By Richard Adkins, WRAL photojournalist Ocracoke, N.C. — When the wind and rain of Hurricane Isaias brushed by Ocracoke Island, there was very little damage to homes and business. But the one thing that was destroyed was the island’s name. The Weather Channel made an error in a graphic, typing Corncrake instead of Ocracoke, and people on social media was more than happy to point out the mistake. “Hey, @weatherchannel it isn’t Corncrake Island. It…

WINDSOR, N.C. (WTVD) — The loud hum of the generator drowns out the peace and quiet Charles Bond has always loved about his hometown. “I been living here so long. And I hate leaving here. I’ve enjoyed myself. Sitting on the porch by myself,” said Charles Bond, lifelong Windsor resident. But Bond says those days will soon be over. After dealing with storms in Windsor his entire life, Hurricane Isaias‘ wrath was the final straw…

BERTIE COUNTY, N.C. (WTVD) — Nothing looks the same. Nothing even looks familiar. “I ain’t never seen anything like this,” Steven Swain, a survivor of Monday night’s tornado brought on by Hurricane Isaias, told ABC11. “The only time I’ve seen it is on TV way off somewhere.” The storm hit land at Ocean Isle Beach on Monday night around 11 p.m. as a category 1 hurricane. By 6 a.m., it was out of North Carolina,…

By Joe Fisher and Keely Arthur, WRAL reporters Windsor, N.C. — The National Weather Service said Wednesday that a Tuesday morning tornado that wiped out a Windsor neighborhood was an EF-3 storm with winds up to 145 mph. Sheriff John Holley said Randolph Harrell, 62, and Lethia Ann Edwards, 52, were killed in the storm. Holley couldn’t say how many people were injured. The tornado spun out of Hurricane Isaias at about 1:15 a.m. Tuesday…

By Joe Fisher and Keely Arthur, WRAL reporters Windsor, N.C. — Bertie County officials on Wednesday identified the two people killed in a Tuesday morning tornado that wiped out a Windsor neighborhood. Sheriff John Holley said Randolph Harrell, 62, and Lethia Ann Edwards, 52, were killed in the storm. Holley couldn’t say how many people were injured. Gov. Roy Cooper visited Windsor on Wednesday morning to assess the damage and get an update on the…

WINDSOR, N.C. — At least seven people were killed as Tropical Storm Isaias battered the U.S. East Coast with rain and fierce winds after making landfall as a hurricane in North Carolina. Millions of people were without power on Wednesday after felled trees downed power lines. The sound of generators and chainsaws punctuated the sunrise in New Jersey, where more than 1 million homes and businesses were without electricity. NJ Transit train service remained suspended…

At least six people are dead after Isaias spawned tornadoes and dumped rain during an inland march up the east coast. The storm hit land at Ocean Isle Beach Monday night around 11 p.m. as a category 1 hurricane.

By Joe Fisher, WRAL reporter Windsor, N.C. — Samaritan’s Purse is cleaning up the neighborhood where a deadly tornado hit, and an organizer says they’re in dire need of volunteers. At least 10 homes were destroyed and two people were killed early Tuesday morning when a tornado hit a community on Morning Road in the town of Windsor. On Wednesday, Alyssa Benson from the Boone-based Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse said 10 volunteers were there to…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Windsor, N.C. — Neighbors are mourning after two people were killed in a tornado that hit a neighborhood in Bertie County early Tuesday. Sheriff John Holley said the damage from the tornado, which was spawned by Tropical Storm Isaias, was the worst he’s seen in the 38 years he has worked at the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s bad,” Holley told WRAL News. “It doesn’t look real. It looks like…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The state is reporting more than 54,000 power outages across North Carolina at around Tuesday at 11:00 p.m. as Hurricane Isaias made landfall one day prior. Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach around 11 p.m. Monday as a Category 1 storm. The bulk of the outages were in the southeast portion of the state in New Hanover County. New Hanover had 73,526 outages as of 10 a.m. Brunswick County had…

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RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The state is reporting more than 65,000 power outages across North Carolina at around Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. as Hurricane Isaias made landfall hours prior. Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach around 11 p.m. as a Category 1 storm. The bulk of the outages were in the southeast portion of the state in New Hanover County. New Hanover had 73,526 outages as of 10 a.m. Brunswick County had more than…

By Adam Owens, Leslie Moreno and Keely Arthur, WRAL reporters Windsor, N.C. — Two people were killed after a tornado hit a neighborhood in Bertie County early Tuesday. Sheriff John Holley said the damage from the tornado, which was spawned by Tropical Storm Isaias, was the worst he’s seen in the 38 years he has worked at the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s bad,” Holley told WRAL News. “It doesn’t look real. It looks like…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The state is reporting more than 88,000 power outages across North Carolina at around Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. as Hurricane Isaias made landfall hours prior. Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach around 11 p.m. as a Category 1 storm. The bulk of the outages were in the southeast portion of the state in New Hanover County. New Hanover had 73,526 outages as of 10 a.m. Brunswick County had more than…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The state is reporting more than 119,000 power outages across North Carolina at around Tuesday at 6:20 p.m. as Hurricane Isaias made landfall hours prior. Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach around 11 p.m. as a Category 1 storm. The bulk of the outages were in the southeast portion of the state in New Hanover County. New Hanover had 73,526 outages as of 10 a.m. Brunswick County had more than…

By Adam Owens, WRAL anchor/reporter, & Leslie Moreno, WRAL reporter Windsor, N.C. — Two people were killed after a tornado hit a neighborhood in Bertie County early Tuesday. Sheriff John Holley said the damage from the tornado, which was spawned by Tropical Storm Isaias, was the worst he’s seen in the 38 years he has worked at the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office. “It’s bad,” Holley told WRAL News. “It doesn’t look real. It looks like…