North Carolina News

RALEIGH, NC (WNCN) – Gov. Roy Cooper has asked the president for a disaster declaration ahead of Hurricane Florence’s landfall.  The now-Category 4 hurricane is forecast to come ashore along the North or South Carolina coast late Thursday into Friday.  “North Carolina is no stranger to hurricanes. We are a resilient state. Storms and heavy wind and rain can affect the entire state,” Cooper said.  Cooper arrived in Wilmington Monday afternoon and spoke with officials at…

SOUTHEASTERN, NC (WECT) – NEW HANOVER COUNTY New Hanover County recommends a voluntary evacuation for the whole county while Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach and Carolina Beach have mandatory evacuations. Residents and visitors should be in a safe location before 8 p.m. Wednesday. Trask Middle School is open as a shelter. This is a pet co-location shelter and cats and dogs are welcome. No exotic animals. Limited food service will be provided for those seeking shelter. A…

It’s still unclear whether the storm will hit Southeastern North Carolina. SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — It’s looking more likely that Hurricane Florence could impact the East Coast, and state and local officials are urging coastal North Carolinians to get prepared. Florence strengthened to Category 1 hurricane Sunday morning, according to an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm, about 750 miles southeast of Bermuda, is projected to make landfall early Friday morning somewhere…

HURRICANE Q&A Q: What’s the difference between a hurricane warning and a hurricane watch? A: A warning is more serious than a watch. A hurricane watch means a hurricane may threaten the area within 48 hours. A hurricane warning means sustained winds of 74 mph or stronger will likely strike a specific coastal area within 36 hours. Q: Does a higher category number mean a worse storm? A: Yes. The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane scale rates storms…

The tropical storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane late Saturday or early Sunday. WILMINGTON — At 11 a.m. Saturday, Southeastern North Carolina officially entered the cone of uncertainty for Tropical Storm Florence, which is on a track headed for the East Coast. By 5 p.m., the track for the tropical storm, which is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday night or Sunday, had shifted slightly north, bringing its potential trajectory closer to the region. With the…

Friday Aug 31, 2018 at 8:20 AM Potential Tropical Cyclone 6 is forecast to strengthen to Tropical Storm Florence on Friday and then a hurricane by Sunday morning. The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone 6, which is forecast to strengthen to Tropical Storm Florence and then a hurricane by Sunday. It would be the third hurricane of the 2018 season, following Beryl and Chris. The potential tropical cyclone is in the far eastern Atlantic, about…

By Cammie Bellamy StarNews Staff Wednesday Aug 15, 2018 at 5:04 PM Aug 15, 2018 at 6:10 PM Bright Leaf Road at Wendover Lane among streets closed due to high water NEW HANOVER COUNTY — Several roads in the Ogden and Middle Sound areas of New Hanover County are flooded after a brief but heavy storm Wednesday afternoon. New Hanover County emergency dispatchers said as of 4:45 p.m., police were closing Bright Leaf Road at Wendover Lane, behind Big Lots, due to standing water. Flooding…

Wrightsville Beach Ocean Rescue said they rescued about 20 people from the ocean on Sunday. Tropical Storm Chris is stalled off the coast of the Carolinas, gathering strength to become a hurricane but not expected to make landfall. No hurricane or storm watches or warnings were posted Monday morning, but forecasters said Sunday that Chris will bring “life threatening” rough surf and dangerous rip currents along the East Coast. Minor beach erosion and ocean overwash…

By Cammie Bellamy StarNews Staff Sunday Jul 8, 2018 at 5:57 PM Jul 8, 2018 at 7:47 PM The National Hurricane Center forecast the storm could become a hurricane Monday. N.C. COAST — Tropical Storm Chris is expected to strengthen to a hurricane Monday off the North Carolina coast, but is unlikely to cause problems on land. As of Sunday evening, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Chris, which grew from a tropical depression to a tropical storm Sunday, was sitting 180 miles southeast of…

SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) – The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a Tornado Warning for Pender and Sampson Counties until 11:45 a.m. If you are in the warned area, please take shelter immediately in an interior room and cover and protect your head. Stay tuned to WECT on air and online for the latest weather developments. Download the WECT Weather app in the Apple App or Google Play store for interactive radar, hour-by-hour forecasts and…

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SOUTHEASTERN NORTH CAROLINA (WECT) – The National Weather Service in Wilmington has issued a Tornado Warning for Columbus and Bladen Counties. If you are in the warned area, please take shelter immediately in an interior room and cover and protect your head. Stay tuned to WECT on air and online for the latest weather developments. Download the WECT Weather app in the Apple App or Google Play store for interactive radar, hour-by-hour forecasts and watches and…

(Source: WECT) WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – The UnitedHealth Group has set up a mobile clinic in Wilmington to help Hurricane Florence victims and Anita Bachmann, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Community Plan North Carolina, will discuss the medical care the clinic provides with WECT’s Ashlea Kosikowski on News Now at 4:30 p.m.   >>Desktop users can see News Now at the top of this story. Mobile users can watch it here.<< Located at the Dreams Center at 901…

Live video from WECT News is available on your computer, tablet and smartphone during all local newscasts. When WECT News is not airing a live newscast, you will see replays of the most recent newscasts. Internet Explorer users please note compatibility mode may disable display of the live player, disable compatibility mode if you do not see player.