Raleigh North Carolina News

By The Associated Press MEXICO CITY — Tropical Storm Pamela formed off Mexico’s Pacific coast Sunday and was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before hitting shore somewhere near the port of Mazatlan at midweek. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Pamela’s center was about 505 miles (810 kilometers) south of Mazatlan late Sunday and was moving west-northwest at about 12 miles per hour (19 kph). The storm had maximum winds of about 50 miles…

By Michelle Mackonochie, WRAL anchor/reporter Princeton, N.C. — While much of central North Carolina saw rain on Saturday, one area in particular is notorious for flooding. Princeton residents said flooding is all too common for the town, and after Saturday’s rain it left a mess, again. “We get water so bad sometimes we can’t even leave the yard,” said Terry Fraser. “When we get rain, we rain a lot … it’s a swimming pool every…

By Heather Leah, WRAL multiplatform producer Raleigh, N.C. — Raleigh police were reportedly assisting with a water rescue near an apartment complex after an early-morning downpour on Saturday. The WRAL Stormtracker captured video from Brook Hill Townhomes on Dana Drive in Raleigh, close to where the rescue was taking place. Rescue crews could be seen preparing inflatable boats to use in the flooded roadway and parking lot. Video and photos sent by Taha and Ali…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Princeville, N.C. — Princeville, once called Freedom Hill, became imprisoned by the wrath of a river. This town, the first in America founded by freed enslaved people, became a place to escape. Because in October 2016, the deluge came to Princeville, forcing Jimmy Hilliard out of his house for two months. “I had to replace everything and that was my second time doing that,” Hilliard said. The first time was…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Five years ago on Friday, Hurricane Matthew unleashed its fury on North Carolina. The storm killed 25 people in the state and caused more than a billion dollars in damage in one of the costliest disasters the state has endured. Swollen rivers inundated homes and businesses across eastern North Carolina. In communities like Goldsboro and Grays Creek, the rebuilding may be done, but memories are still fresh. Sounds such as…

By JAY REEVES, Associated Press PELHAM, Ala. — Terrified drivers climbed out of swamped cars and muddy floodwater flowed through neighborhoods after a stalled weather front drenched Alabama for hours, leaving entire communities under water Thursday and killing at least four people, with still more storms possible. Dozens of people had to be rescued Wednesday night in central Alabama, where the National Weather Service said as much as 13 inches (33 centimeters) of rain fell,…

By WLOS Black Mountain, N.C. — While $2.2 million in FEMA funding has been approved in Western North Carolina, a local animal rescue said its application for financial assistance was denied. Full Moon Farm Wolfdog Sanctuary is a rescue organization for wolfdogs, currently housing more than 30 dogs. It sits on 17 acres of land in Black Mountain and rescues “abused and refused” wolf hybrids that cannot be placed into homes for the remainder of…

A water main break sends tons of water gushing onto Roxboro Street in Durham. The source of the break is located on Roxboro Street near Denfield Street. Drivers headed south into Durham on Duke Street will have to remain on that road for a bit longer instead of merging left onto Roxboro Street. The water has been gushing onto the street since around 4 a.m. Crews are on the scene trying to shut off the…

In the past, hurricane hunters have flown into the storms’ eyewall to not only collect data, but also offer a glimpse at one of the earth’s most destructive weather phenomena. But what about the inside of a hurricane, and at sea level? As luck would have it, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has released footage from the inside of Hurricane Sam, the Category 4 storm barreling across the Atlantic, through a lens…

By The Associated Press LJUBLJANA, Slovenia — Very heavy rainfall has caused flash floods in Slovenia’s capital Ljubljana that interrupted a theatre show, surged inside homes, hospitals and other buildings, and forced hundreds of interventions by emergency crews, authorities said Thursday. The sudden storm caused the floods overnight after huge quantities of rain fell within a short period of time, officials said. Slovenia’s environmental authorities described the rain as a “once in two centuries event.”…

By The Associated Press MIAMI — Beachgoers along the east coast of the United States should beware of life-threatening surf and rip currents this weekend as Hurricane Sam turns northward, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday. Forecasters expect the Category 4 hurricane to remain at sea, but with top winds of 130 mph (215 kph), it’s already sending dangerous ocean swells to islands hundreds of miles (kilometers) away. “Right now we’re not forecasting it to…

The tropics are quite active as September draws to a close, but at this time none of the disturbances pose an imminent threat to the United States. A bevy of disturbances are churning away in the Atlantic. The strongest of which is Hurricane Sam, which has reached Category 4 status. Fortunately, Sam is not expected to make it to the United States. Instead it looks to turn north and stay out to sea. Although, the…

By OMER FAROOQ, Associated Press HYDERABAD, India — A cyclone flooded parts of India’s eastern coast with heavy rains and uprooted thousands of trees and power poles, knocking out electricity, before weakening to a deep depression Monday. Heavy rains lashed the town of Kalingapatnam in Andhra Pradesh state on Sunday, swamping roads and marooning hundreds of villages, local official Shrikesh Lathkar said. One fisherman was missing and another was injured when their boat was hit…

By The New York Times, New York Times Hurricane Sam strengthened into a Category 3 storm as it moved west across the Atlantic Ocean, forecasters said Saturday. The National Hurricane Center said the storm was “small but dangerous” and was forecast to become a Category 4 hurricane by Sunday. “Additional strengthening is expected over the next day or so,” the center said. The hurricane was just under 1,100 miles east-southeast of the northern Leeward Islands…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Sam has formed in the Atlantic Ocean and it will rapidly intensify in the coming days. Sam is located about 1,500 miles east of the Leeward Islands. It has maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour and is moving west at 15 mph. Over the weekend, Sam is forecast to slow down and get stronger. It will likely be a major hurricane by Saturday. Strengthening will continue into next…