North Carolina News

By Kat Campbell, WRAL meteorologist It was a nice break while it lasted! Since Elsa dissipated on July 9, we have enjoyed a nice 3.5 week break from new tropical systems developing. Saharan dust helped to limit tropical development, which is common for June and July. The Atlantic is waking back up as we head into August. Atlantic hurricane season is most active August through October, so it is usual to see tropical activity pick…

By Kat Campbell, WRAL meteorologist It was a nice break while it lasted! Since Elsa dissipated July 9th, we have enjoyed a nice 3.5 week break from new tropical systems developing. Saharan dust helped to limit tropical development in the main development region which is common for June and July. The Atlantic is waking back up as we head into August. Atlantic hurricane season is most active August through October, so it is usual to…

The 2021 Atlantic Hurricane season is underway but the busiest time is ahead. The peak period starts late August and goes into October. Peak day is September 10. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center on Wednesday provided a mid-season update, saying that it expects there to be 15 to 21 named storms with winds of 39 mph or greater this season. On anniversary of Hurricane Isaias, tropics remain relatively quiet for 2021 Initially, the center predicted 13…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. — One year ago today, Hurricane Isaias slammed into North Carolina, spawning tornadoes and floods. The category one hurricane made landfall at Ocean Isle Beach. The mayor says it triggered the worst flooding she had ever seen on the island. WRAL News revisited the island a year later, where the hardest-hit residents are still rebuilding – not from high water, but from flames. “This was my…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The 2021 hurricane season is off to a slow start — thankfully! As of August 3, there have been five named storms and only one of those made landfall in the United States. Compare that to the 2020 hurricane season, which admittedly was the most active of all time: On August 3, 2020, Hurricane Isaias made landfall in North Carolina. It was the ninth named storm of the year and the…

As you drive along any road in California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range, an all too common sight. Dead, brown trees. A byproduct of California’s extensive drought, though may look depressing, Rachel Swigart sees an opportunity. Swigart is a third generation woodworker. Her father is a cabinet maker, as well as her grandfather. In fact he was one of the first in the Oakhurst, CA area, located just south of Yosemite National Park. “I didn’t think…

Parts of central North Carolina will have a slight risk for storms throughout Sunday. First Alert Meteorologist Steve Stewart said stalled frontal boundary will become the focus for unsettled weather today. Upper-level energy will stir up showers and thunderstorm activity as low-level moisture gets drawn northward and the frontal boundary buckles northward. Most of the activity activity will remain north of us this morning, rumbling across southern Virginia. However, in the afternoon, we can expect…

By Zach Maloch, WRAL meteorologist It should not surprise many of you that summer in North Carolina involves the heat, humidity and afternoon storms. We have seen it all this past week with heat index values climbing into the triple digits the past few days and severe storms producing localized downbursts, which caused damage on Wednesday. While the heat and humidity are easier to understand, those “pulse-severe,” localized storms are a bit more complex. In…

By The Associated Press BENSALEM, Pa. — At least five people were injured when severe weather struck an auto dealership, homes and other businesses in eastern Pennsylvania, authorities said. The National Weather Service confirmed two tornadoes touched down Thursday in Bucks County, sending trees falling and debris flying. The thunderous downpour flooded streets and roadways. “I have been doing this for 34 years, I haven’t seen that sort of devastation from a storm,” said Bensalem…

By The Associated Press MILWAUKEE — At least three tornadoes touched down in Wisconsin amid powerful thunderstorms that caused widespread damage that contributed to the death of a man who crashed into a fallen tree and power line, officials said Thursday. The severe weather stretched from the Mississippi River to Lake Michigan and began Wednesday evening in northwestern Wisconsin. By 2 a.m. Thursday, the numerous tornado warnings around the state had expired. Hours later, one…

Tornado watches and tornado warnings have different purposes, and you should react to each differently, AccuWeather explains. A tornado watch is typically issued hours in advance by NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center (SPC). It means that conditions are ideal for a tornado to form. A watch will not necessarily result in severe weather, AccuWeather explains. “A watch is issued when conditions are favorable, for example, either for a severe thunderstorm or tornadoes,” AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Dan…

By DAKE KANG, Associated Press XINXIANG, China — The night the rains came, all Yu Ruiping could do was huddle in her market stall. The electricity went out. Her phone went dead. And the water just kept rising. When the skies cleared, the market was surrounded by chest-high water — trapping Yu and her husband for two days with nothing to eat but a few packages of instant noodles. “It was the most water I’d…

By WRAL Weather Team Raleigh, N.C. — Much of central North Carolina is under a Level 1 or Level 2 risk for severe weather Wednesday as we enter a brutal three-day stretch of heat with some of the hottest temperatures of this summer so far. Storms on Wednesday will be isolated in nature, but any storms that do form could become severe with damaging wind gusts, according to WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth. Storms could pop…