North Carolina News

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Smithfield, N.C. — Ava Gardner, one of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, was a North Carolina girl. She grew up among the tobacco farms of Johnston County. Smithfield celebrates its homegrown movie star with a museum downtown. The Ava Gardner Museum has managed to stay afloat during the pandemic — only to be shut down by a flood. On the silver screen, in that Golden Age, Ava Gardner…

DETROIT — Nino Niederreiter scored early in the first period and Petr Mrazek had to make just 14 saves for a shutout, helping the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Detroit Red Wings 3-0 Thursday night in the season opener for both teams. Ryan Ddzingel scored on a power play with 2:34 left and Andrei Svechnikov added an empty-net goal. Detroit goalie Thomas Greiss made only one save before he gave up a goal, but he stopped…

BILLINGS, Mont. — Wildfire smoke accounted for up to half of all health-damaging small particle air pollution in the western U.S. in recent years as warming temperatures fueled more destructive blazes, according to a study released Monday. Even as pollution emissions declined from other sources including vehicle exhaust and power plants, the amount from fires increased sharply, said researchers at Stanford University and the University of California, San Diego. The findings underscore the growing public…

The National Cemetery in Raleigh has a major problem. When it rains, dozens of headstones are swamped with water and mud.

On a scrap of land surrounded by flooding in South Sudan, families drink and bathe from the waters that swept away latrines and continue to rise.

CLAYTON, N.C. (WTVD) — Health administrators and physicians across North Carolina on Tuesday warned that hospitals are on the precipice of exceeding capacity as the holiday surge of COVID-19 pummels the state. “The issue is staffing,” Dr. Rodney McCaskill, Chief Medical Officer at UNC Hospital in Clayton, told ABC11. “There are not enough nurses or respiratory therapists for beds. The patients coming in are much sicker than what we saw before COVID, and COVID illness…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — Christmas Eve was a busy day of weather watches and warnings across central and eastern North Carolina. Wake county was under a severe thunderstorm warning until 10 p.m. on Thursday night. Winds of up to 60 mph were possible as a band of storms bringing heavy rain and strong winds moved east. Much of the Triangle is also still under a flood advisory until midnight. Some areas…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — As strong storms move through central North Carolina, several weather alerts are active. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings all along the I-95 Corridor. Tornado Warnings have expired but still some rotation is visible. We might see another isolated tornado in the next hour or so along this line. pic.twitter.com/RR5oz3dVvN — Brittany Bell (@BrittanyABC11) December 24, 2020 Severe Thunderstorm Warning for Edgecombe, Halifax and Nash until 5:45 p.m. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are in effect for…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The Triangle saw gusty winds and downpours through mid-day on Christmas Eve, while tornado warnings popped up to the south. Just after 4 p.m., nine counties were under severe weather alert warnings. Much of the eastern half of the state, including Wake and Johnston counties, is under a tornado watch – which means conditions are right for tornadoes to form – through 10 p.m. At 4 p.m.,…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The Triangle saw gusty winds and downpours through mid-day on Christmas Eve, while tornado warnings popped up to the south. Just after 4 p.m., nine counties were under severe weather alert warnings. Much of the eastern half of the state, including Wake and Johnston counties, is under a tornado watch – which means conditions are right for tornadoes to form – through 10 p.m. At 4 p.m.,…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — As strong storms move through central North Carolina, several severe weather alerts are active. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Sampson, Edgecombe, Nash and Wilson counties until 4:30 p.m. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Cumberland, Sampson, Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Wayne and Wilson counties until 4:30 p.m. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Franklin, Johnston and Wake until 4:15 p.m. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Johnston,…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — As strong storms move through central North Carolina, several severe weather alerts are active. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Cumberland, Sampson, Edgecombe, Johnston, Nash, Wayne and Wilson counties until 4:30 p.m. A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Franklin, Johnston and Wake until 4:15 p.m. A Tornado Warning has been issued for Johnston, Sampson and Wayne counties until 4:00 p.m. A Tornado Warning is in effect for Johnston and…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The Triangle saw gusty winds and downpours through mid-day on Christmas Eve, while tornado warnings popped up to the south. Much of the eastern half of the state, including Wake and Johnston counties, is under a tornado watch – which means conditions are right for tornadoes to form – through 10 p.m. Just before 3 p.m., a warning was issued, meaning tornado conditions were detected by radar,…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — As strong storms move through central North Carolina, several severe weather alerts are active. Tornado Warning is in effect for Johnston; Wayne counties until 4:00 p.m. A Tornado Warning is in effect for parts of Sampson, Wayne and Johnston counties until 3:15 p.m. Another Tornado Warning is in effect for parts of Sampson County until 3:30 p.m. A Tornado Watch has been issued for Cumberland, Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Nash,…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The Triangle saw gusty winds and downpours through mid-day on Christmas Eve, while tornado warnings popped up to the south. Much of the eastern half of the state, including Wake and Johnston counties, is under a tornado watch – which means conditions are right for tornadoes to form – through 10 p.m. Just before 3 p.m., a warning was issued, meaning tornado conditions were detected by radar,…

Two tornado warnings are in effect for southeastern parts of central North Carolina.

Much of the eastern half of the state, including Wake and Johnston counties, is under a tornado watch – which means conditions are right for tornadoes to form – through 10 p.m.

RALEIGH (WTVD) — A tornado watch has been issued for Cumberland, Edgecombe, Franklin, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Nash, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Wake, Warren, Wayne and Wilson counties until 10 p.m. Thursday evening. Mother Nature is putting some coal in our stockings with this Christmas Eve forecast. We will see a significant system swing through this afternoon and evening. Ahead of it, the warm air will surge into North Carolina and we get temps that are…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The Triangle is preparing for the possibility of severe storms, gusty winds and even a tornado threat for Christmas Eve. “Damaging wind gusts and tornadoes will be possible from 2 to 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve,” said WRAL meteorologist Peta Sheerwood. On Thursday, the Triangle is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather, and counties east of Raleigh, including the coast, are under a Level 3…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — To top off 2020, the Triangle could see severe weather, isolated tornados and damaging winds on Christmas Eve. The Triangle is under a Level 1 risk for storms and counties east of Raleigh are under a Level 2 risk for severe storms on Thursday. The greatest threat for our area is damaging wind gusts during the storms. The Triangle could see some “supercells,” or rotating thunderstorms on…

By Lora Lavigne, WRAL Durham reporter Durham, N.C. — Known for staying open through hurricanes to serve “good food fast,” overnight business at Waffle House has been very slow since North Carolina imposed a nightly curfew last week to curb the spread of coronavirus. People are allowed to get food during the 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew, but Fred Anton, senior vice president of restaurant operations for Waffle House, said he’s already seen a drop in…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — It’s been 10 months since fans saw live action inside PNC arena but the Carolina Hurricanes are making sure the community continues to feel the team’s support. From now through Dec. 17, the Canes are hosting a toy drive at the team store to benefit the Durham Children’s Initiative. “We felt it was very important to provide an opportunity…to these kids that otherwise might not have any Christmas presents under the…

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Heavy rains have battered parts of Slovenia and Croatia close to the Adriatic Sea coast, causing floods and landslides, blocking roads and disrupting traffic. Persistent rain in coastal Slovenia on Wednesday made the Dragonja river overflow its banks along the border with Croatia, blocking a key road in the area and forcing closure of a border crossing. A landslide brought down trees in the area of the port town of Koper and…

High tides flooded St. Mark’s Square in Venice on Tuesday, propelled by winds that were stronger than predicted, and an experimental system of inflatable barriers wasn’t activated to prevent water from invading the lagoon city. The system, while still in an experimental phase, gets activated when high tides are predicted to reach at least 1.3 meters (4 feet, 4 inches). Tuesday’s tide was predicted to reach 1.25 meters. Instead, it kept rising, to a height…

By CHRISTINA LARSON, AP Science Writer WASHINGTON — This year’s vast wildfires in far northeastern Russia were linked to broader changes in a warming Arctic, according to a report Tuesday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Wildfires are a natural part of many boreal ecosystems, but the extent of flames during the past fire season was directly influenced by climate change, said Alison York, a University of Alaska Fairbanks fire scientist and a contributor…

HILLSIDE, Australia — A rare and wild sight greeted residents of one Australian neighborhood when a strong wind storm blew a freakish amount of tumbleweeds into their development over the weekend. Residents said the grass, known locally as “hairy panic,” seemed to blow out of nowhere into Hillside, a suburb of Melbourne. It piled up across streets, yards and even a pool, reaching hip-height in front of one woman’s home. “Our garden is normally immaculately…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Much of the viewing area from the Triangle eastward is under a Level 1 risk for severe weather Friday night. Friday will be a mild, cloudy day before a chance for rain and thunderstorms. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, we may see some light sprinkles Friday morning and throughout the day, but rain and storms won’t arrive until after sunset. According to Gardner, rain is likely after dinner and…

By CHRISTOPHER WEBER, Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Powerful gusts pushed flames from a wildfire through Southern California canyons on Thursday, one of several blazes that burned near homes and forced residents to flee amid elevated fire risk for most of the region that prompted utilities to cut off power to hundreds of thousands. The biggest blaze began late Wednesday as a house fire in Orange County’s Silverado Canyon, where gusts topped 70 mph (113…

BAYONNE, New Jersey — The devastation caused by Hurricane Eta across Central America inspired two Jersey City cousins to take action and help the victims in Honduras. Using social media, Gabriela Casco and Norman Bonano, organized and called on their followers to assist with food, water, and essentials, without imagining the donations would exceed their expectations. “The majority of the communities that were devastated were ones that were already under the poverty line and in…

An overheating world obliterated weather records in 2020, creating an extreme year for hurricanes, wildfires, heat waves, floods, droughts and ice melt, the United Nations’ weather agency reported Wednesday. While the globe partly shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, extremes linked to human-caused climate change intensified, the World Meteorological Organization said in its State of the Global Climate report. The report kicked off a day when the United Nations pushed for new climate action…

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A record-setting Atlantic hurricane season that saw the highest number of named storms officially came to a close Monday. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the 2020 Atlantic hurricane season set multiple records while producing a record 30 named storms. There were so many that the list of 21 conventional names was exhausted and the Greek alphabet was used for only the second time. The season also saw the second-highest number…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The record-breaking 2020 hurricane season is officially over. The last day of the season is Nov. 30, but it is still possible (although less likely) to get hurricanes out of season. The 2020 hurricane season was like no other. There were 30 named storms–more than any other season in recorded history. The previous record was 28 set in 2005 Of the 30 named storms, 13 of them became hurricanes. That was…

Monday marked the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, but are we really done? In the past 20 years, we’ve seen eight named storms in December. About 3% of storms happen outside the named hurricane season. Hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said with how active the 2020 hurricane season was, it would not be surprising to have a late season storm form. “The severity of…

Monday marked the end of the Atlantic hurricane season, but are we really done? In the past 20 years, we’ve seen eight named storms in December. About 3% of storms happen outside the named hurricane season. Hurricane season starts on June 1 and ends on Nov. 30. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said with how active the 2020 hurricane season was, it would not be surprising to have a late season storm form. “The severity of…