Raleigh North Carolina News

NEW YORK — Henri was downgraded to a tropical storm ahead of its expected landfall Sunday in the Northeast. Here’s everything to know about this weekend’s weather that’s tropical in name, but far from its titular home: Is Henri still a hurricane? Not at the moment. The National Hurricane Center downgraded it to a tropical storm early Sunday. What’s the difference between a hurricane and a tropical storm? It’s all about the wind. Specifically, the…

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter A Raleigh church plans to assist Lt. Governor Mark Robinson’s office in providing relief for people impacted by flood damage in western North Carolina. Members of Echo Church are collecting donations and supplies for their neighbors in the western part of the state. Adele Barcia, 61, who lives in Canton, said she was in shock when raging waters flooded her home. “The water rescue got us off that porch because there were…

By Keely Arthur, WRAL reporter Canton, N.C. — As rescue and recovery efforts continue in western North Carolina, the scope of the devastation from catastrophic flooding is becoming clearer. On Friday afternoon, officials in Haywood County confirmed that two more victims died in the devastation, floods and mudslides caused by Fred, bringing the total number of deaths to four. On Saturday, Judy Mason, 73, Charlene Mungo, 83, were confirmed to have died. On Friday, the…

RALEIGH, N.C. — Tropical Storm Henri, Tropical Storm Grace and a brand new tropical wave are all top of mind for meteorologists.Henri is the closest one to North Carolina. The system is located 190 miles off the coast and moving north-northeast at 12 miles per hour. It has maximum sustained winds of 70 miles per hour and will likely become a hurricane Saturday. The good news for us: Henri will stay out to sea. The…

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ, Associated Press TULUM, Mexico — Hurricane Grace rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 storm Friday night as it bore down on a second landfall in Mexico, this time taking aim at the Gulf coast after crashing through the country’s main tourist strip. The storm had lost punch as it zipped across the Yucatan Peninsula, but it emerged late Thursday over the relatively warm Gulf of Mexico and began gaining energy. The…

Brentwood; Calif — Hold Your Horses Livestock Emergency Evacuation Response Team is saving livestock from natural disasters and wildfires. In 2013, a brush fire on Mount Diablo burned nearly 4,000 acres. Chantel Tieman and her daughter Naydeene rushed to the fire to help ranch owners evacuate their livestock. “During that fire nobody really knew where they were going. They just knew there were horses and animals back there that needed help,” said Naydeene Koster, Vice…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — A gentle rain fell Friday afternoon in Raleigh, and the 20% to 30% chance for precipitation grows to a 50 to 60% chance for storms by 6 p.m., which could impact the start of high school football. Parts of Johnston County were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:45 p.m. The heaviest storms will hit communities near Clayton with the biggest threat being lightning and strong winds,…

By Keely Arthur, WRAL reporter Canton, N.C. — On Day 3 of rescue and recovery efforts in western North Carolina, the scope of the devastation from catastrophic flooding became clearer. On Friday afternoon, officials in Haywood County confirmed that two more victims died in the devastation, floods and mudslides caused by Fred. Earlier Friday, the identities of two other victims were released. Frank Mungo, 86, and Franklin McKenzie, 68, were both from the Cruso community. As of…

MIAMI — A former University of Miami football player was arrested Thursday in connection with the 2006 fatal shooting of his teammate Bryan Pata. Rashaun Jones, 35, of Lake City, was arrested in Marion County on a first-degree murder warrant by Miami-Dade police and the U.S. Marshals Service, police spokesperson Alvaro Zabaleta said. “The Pata family has waited a long time to see the individual they had believed involved in Brian’s death arrested and charged,”…

RALEIGH, N.C. — Rain and possibly severe storms are in central North Carolina on Friday, but they’re not part of one of the several systems being watched by the National Hurricane Center. Tropical Storm Henri, Tropical Storm Grace, the remnants of Fred and a brand new tropical wave are all top of mind for meteorologists. Henri is the closest one to North Carolina. The system is located 370 miles off the coast and moving north…

By Keely Arthur, WRAL reporter Canton, N.C. — Officials in Haywood County confirmed Thursday that two people were found dead overnight and 20 others are still missing. The remnants of Tropical Depression Fred hit parts of western North Carolina hard, triggering flooding and mudslides Tuesday and Wednesday. Several communities in Haywood County had to be evacuated late Tuesday night as rivers flooded into the streets, prompting Gov. Roy Cooper to issue a State of Emergency….

By WRAL Severe Weather Center A soon-to-be hurricane will cause dangerous swim conditions at North Carolina’s beaches, according to WRAL meteorologists. Henri, currently 300 miles southwest of Bermuda, could be a Category 1 hurricane as early as Friday morning, according to WRAL meteorologist Zach Maloch. The storm is not expected to make landfall but will sit about 200 miles off North Carolina’s coast, causing large waves, beach erosion and rough currents on Friday and Saturday….

RALEIGH, N.C. — Tropical Storm Henri is strengthening as it churns about 500 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The National Hurricane Center clocked Henri’s top sustained winds at 70 miles per hour. The system is moving toward the Tar Heel state at 9 miles per hour. Henri is expected to become a hurricane later today or Friday. That’s when it will also make a turn to the north and northeast, keeping it far…

By Keely Arthur, WRAL reporter Canton, N.C. — The remnants of Tropical Depression Fred hit parts of western North Carolina hard, triggering flooding and mudslides. Several communities in Haywood County had to be evacuated late Tuesday night as rivers flooded into the streets, prompting Gov. Roy Cooper to issue a State of Emergency. On Wednesday afternoon, Haywood County officials told WRAL News approximately 30 people are missing. Search and rescue crews are looking for the…

RALEIGH, N.C. — The final storm bands of Fred are pushing through central North Carolina dumping heavy rain and flashing the sky with lightning. According to the National Hurricane Center, the center of Tropical Depression Fred was located in West Virginia on Wednesday morning. However, the final outer bands of the storm remain in North Carolina. Fred’s storms stretch all the way from Robeson County to Person County. The storms are pushing through the area…