Raleigh North Carolina News

By WRAL Weather Raleigh, N.C. — Thunderstorms and isolated flooding are likely for the next few days before a pattern of cooler fall air sets in for the rest of the work week. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, there is a 30% chance for rain and storms by late Monday afternoon, and highs will be in the low 80s. On Tuesday, the viewing area is under a Level 1 threat for severe weather, with…

NAPA COUNTY, CA. — Several buildings were set ablaze in Napa County, California on Sunday, as crews battled wildfires in the area. A mandatory evacuation was issued for some residents around St. Helena. Some structures were reduced to their foundations by the fires, which were spreading fast through the county known for its vineyards. Firefighters used aircraft to drop fire retardant and water over the flames, and the U.S. Forest Service announced on Friday that…

By WRAL Weather Raleigh, N.C. — A cold-front moving into the region will bring heavy rain and even the potential for severe storms this week. ​Excessive rainfall could onset flooding across the viewing area Tuesday. Monday is going to be warmer than usual, with a high of 82 degrees. Then on Wednesday temperatures are back down again to 72 degrees, which is below the regular temperature for this time of year. Monday morning will start…

Raleigh, N.C. — As part of the rain, storms and flash floods forecast for parts of NC this evening as the remnants of Beta pass over, a Tornado Warning was issued for Robeson County until 6:45 p.m. and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is in effect for Cumberland, Harnett, Hoke, and Moore counties until 7:15 p.m. Remnants from Beta will bring pockets of rain to us all evening on Friday. As of Friday afternoon, the Triangle…

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. — Frightening eyewitness video shows the moments an apparent tornado tore across the beach Friday afternoon in South Carolina. Footage from multiple angles shows beach umbrellas and other debris tossed through the air as the cell moved down the beach. The Myrtle Beach Fire Department said in a tweet that it happened around 74th Avenue N, adding that “there may be debris and other damage in the area.” They included photos of…

Raleigh, N.C. — Remnants from Beta will bring all-day rain to North Carolina on Friday, and much of the viewing area is under a risk for flash flooding. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, scattered showers are likely for the morning commute, then scattered showers and storms will stay with us on and off throughout the entire day. The heaviest rain will fall in the late afternoon. While some thunderstorms will be possible, severe weather…

Raleigh, N.C. — Remnants from Beta will bring rain to much of North Carolina late Thursday and most of Friday. WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said Thursday will be a mostly cloudy day with scattered, light rain. The chance for rain rises from 20% Thursday afternoon to 50% by Thursday night as tropical moisture moves into our area. Our rain chances will increase Friday as the core of Beta’s remnants will move into central North Carolina….

By Aimee Wilmoth, WRAL meteorologist The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is already the second most active on record with 68 days left to go. We have already had to use the Greek alphabet for names as we have exhausted all of the other names. The only other year we have done this is 2005. That was a record-breaking year with 31 tropical or subtropical cyclones and 27 named storms. 2020 is outpacing 2005. Beta became…

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON — Tropical Storm Beta stalled out Tuesday along the Texas coast, flooding streets in Houston and Galveston hours after making landfall amid an unusually busy hurricane season. The storm made landfall late Monday just north of Port O’Connor, Texas, and has the distinction of being the first time a storm named for a Greek letter made landfall in the continental United States. Forecasters ran out of traditional storm…

HOUSTON — Tropical Storm Beta made landfall on the upper Texas coast Monday night. Early Tuesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Beta was 35 miles north northwest of the city with maximum winds of 40 mph. Beta is the ninth named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. this year. That tied a record set in 1916, according to Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach. Beta is the first Greek letter named…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Hatteras, N.C. — Outer Banks residents, business owners and visitors were limited in their travel once again Monday after Mother Nature swept sand and water over N.C. Highway 12. Waves whipped up by Hurricane Teddy brought serious flooding to the Outer Banks over the weekend, and closing N.C. 12 in two places. “I think it’s very hard for people to get their head around the fact that this wasn’t a…

By Bryan Mims, WRAL reporter Hatteras, N.C. — Outer Banks residents, business owners and visitors were limited in their travel once again Monday after Mother Nature swept sand and water over N.C. Highway 12. Waves whipped up by Hurricane Teddy brought serious flooding to the Outer Banks over the weekend, and closing N.C. 12 in two places. The Outer Banks’ main north-south thoroughfare was closed at the between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe on…

The 2020 hurricane season has been one for the record books. With activity expected to continue, AccuWeather’s team of forecasters has upped their forecast for this season to 28 named storms. This would tie the record for the most named storms in a season, which was set in 2005. Other changes to AccuWeather’s hurricane season forecast include an increase in the number of forecasted hurricanes to 13, an increase in the number of major hurricanes…

BILOXI, Miss. — Along parts of the Gulf coast, first responders and families are feeling drained from this year’s hurricane season even though there’s more rain on the way and more trouble brewing in the tropics. It’s been a tough year to make and communicate hurricane forecasts with storm tracks constantly shifting, not to mention public health concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. “We worry about hurricane fatigue. We worry about people becoming frustrated,” Vincent Creel,…

ATHENS, Greece — A third person has been found dead in central Greece following extensive damage caused by a tropical-like storm over the weekend. Authorities said the body of a missing 62-year-old man was found Monday outside the central city of Karditsa, while fire service drones were being used to help rescuers in dinghies try to find a woman still missing in a nearby area. The storm, named Ianos, swept across parts of western and…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — Help is on the way as hundreds of Duke Energy line and tree workers head to the gulf coast to assist in power restoration to residents left reeling in Hurricane Sally’s aftermath. “This would be my seventh or eighth storm with Duke,” Jason Medlin said. It still never gets any easier for Medlin’s family. “It takes a little getting used to with them. My two oldest kids are fine with it, but…

By JUAN A. LOZANO, Associated Press HOUSTON — Parts of Texas and Louisiana braced Monday for flooding and damaging storm surge as Tropical Storm Beta slowly worked its way into a part of the country that’s already been drenched and battered during this year’s exceptionally busy hurricane season. The storm was no longer expected to gain hurricane strength and forecasters decreased estimated rainfall totals from Beta early Monday, saying in a U.S. National Hurricane Center…

HOUSTON — Tropical storm conditions were expected to begin Monday morning in parts of Texas and Louisiana as Tropical Storm Beta slowly worked its way into a part of the country that’s already been drenched and battered during this year’s exceptionally busy hurricane season. No longer expected to gain hurricane strength, forecasters also decreased estimated rainfall totals from Beta early Monday, saying in a U.S. National Hurricane Center advisory that up to 15 inches (38…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center The tropics remain extremely active this week after Hurricane Teddy brought heavy flooding to the Outer Banks over the weekend. For only the second time in recorded history, all of the possible hurricane names have been used up this season, and we still have 10 weeks to go. We will now switch into using the Greek alphabet for names. Tropical Storm Beta is in the Gulf of Mexico battling dry…

RODANTHE, N.C. — Portions of the primary road linking North Carolina’s Outer Banks barrier islands to the mainland were closed on Sunday due to coastal flooding from high tides and Hurricane Teddy. Traffic on North Carolina Highway 12 was halted on long stretches on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, the Department of Transportation reported. On Hatteras Island, the road was closed from Rodanthe north to the Basnight Bridge due to standing water. N.C. 12 also was…

By STEFANIE DAZIO, Associated Press LOS ANGELES — The destruction wrought by a wind-driven wildfire in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles approached 156 square miles (404 square kilometers) Sunday, burning structures, homes and a nature center in a famed Southern California wildlife sanctuary in foothill desert communities. The blaze, known as the Bobcat Fire, is expected to grow through Sunday and Monday as critical fire weather conditions continued due to gusty wind and low…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Hurricane Teddy was downgraded to a Category 2 storm on Sunday morning. Teddy is on path toward the Atlantic Canada. The coast of North Carolina is expected to have life-threatening rip currents over the next couple of days because of Teddy. If you are headed to the beach, make sure to swim near a life guard. If you do get caught in a rip current, don’t panic and swim parallel…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Tropical Storm Beta is in the Gulf of Mexico and inching toward Texas and Louisiana. The storm is moving at about 3 mph, which is nearly stationary. Beta is expected to bring intense rainfall for extended periods of time and flood the coast because of how slow the storm is moving. Rain from the storm has already began flooding the coast of Texas. Outer bands of the storm will continue…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Tropical Storm Beta is in the Gulf of Mexico and inching toward Texas and Louisiana. The storm is moving at about 3 mph, which is nearly stationary. Beta is expected to bring intense rainfall for extended periods of time and flood the coast because of how slow the storm is moving. The storm has already caused flooding along the coast of Texas, according to local media reports. Outer bands of…

By KELLI KENNEDY, Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — An exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season was churning along Saturday as the Texas coast prepared for a tropical storm that’s forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before breaching its shores in the week ahead. Both the city of Galveston and Galveston County on Saturday issued voluntary evacuation orders ahead of Tropical Storm Beta, as did the city of Seabrook to the north of Galveston. Mayor Pro…

ATHENS, Greece — A storm pounded parts of central Greece, creating flooding Saturday that killed two people, left 1 missing and forced emergency workers to rescue more than 600 people. Authorities identified the two victims as an elderly woman found dead in her flooded home in the region of Thessaly and a 63-year-old shepherd swept away by rising floodwaters. They also said a woman who is missing ignored instructions by firefighters and police not to…

HOUSTON — An exceptionally busy Atlantic hurricane season was churning along Saturday morning as the Texas coast prepared for a tropical storm that’s forecast to strengthen into a hurricane before breaching its shores in the week ahead. Tropical Storm Beta was brewing in the Gulf of Mexico, 290 miles (470 kilometers) east of the mouth of the Rio Grande, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. The system was forecast to become a…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Tropical Storm Beta is in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to strengthen to a Category 1 Hurricane by Saturday. When it does, it will bring storm surge, flooding and strong winds to the coast of Louisiana and Texas. Beta is bringing winds of about 60 miles per hour and is moving at about 8 mph, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. The storm is…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center It’s been a busy Friday in the tropics with two new storms named for letters in the Greek alphabet. Subtropical Storm Alpha formed off the coast of Portugal on Friday afternoon. It made landfall in Portugal Friday night and was expected to dissipate into Saturday. A subtropical system has characteristics of both a low-pressure system and a tropical storm. Names are given to storms that have sustained wind speeds higher…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center It’s been a busy Friday in the tropics with two new storms named for letters in the Greek alphabet. Subtropical Storm Alpha formed off the coast of Portugal on Friday afternoon. It made landfall in Portugal Friday night and was expected to dissipate into Saturday. A subtropical system has characteristics of both a low-pressure system and a tropical storm. Names are given to storms that have sustained wind speeds higher…

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration announced Friday that it would release nearly $13 billion in aid to Puerto Rico to help the island rebuild its electrical grid and repair schools from the devastation of Hurricane Maria three years earlier amid criticism that the assistance was overdue and being released now only for political purposes. The grant comes as President Donald Trump, who has balked at providing assistance to the island territory, and former Vice President…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Subtropical Storm Alpha formed off the coast of Portugal on Friday afternoon. It’s expected to be short-lived, but bring winds and rain to portions of Portugal according to the National Hurricane Center. A subtropical system has characteristics of both a low-pressure system and a tropical storm. Names are given to storms that have sustained wind speeds higher than 39 mph. As of the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center,…

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Wilfred has formed in the eastern Atlantic, becoming the latest storm in an active hurricane season. The storm’s maximum sustained winds Friday morning were near 40 mph (65 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center says slight strengthening was possible during the day but weakening should start over the weekend. Wilfred was centered about 630 miles (1,015 kilometers) west-southwest of the Cabo Verde Islands and was moving west-northwest near 17 mph (28…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Tropical Storm Wilfred has formed in the eastern Tropical Atlantic. Wilfred was the last name left on the list generated at the beginning of hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization. After WiIfred, subsequent storms would be named based on the Greek alphabet. The last time that happened was 2005, when there were 28 named storms. There’s a tropical depression in the Gulf of Mexico that meteorologist are watching. It’s…

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — A firefighter died battling a wildfire in California that officials said was sparked by a device used to reveal a baby’s gender. The death occurred Thursday in the San Bernardino National Forest as crews battled the El Dorado Fire, the U.S. Forest Service said in a news release. The El Dorado Fire erupted earlier this month from a smoke-generating pyrotechnic device was used by a couple to reveal their baby’s gender,…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — The flooding threat in North Carolina from what’s left of Hurricane Sally has nearly vanished. The Flash Flood Watch was canceled for the entire ABC11 viewing area, except for Northampton County. Although the Flash Flood Watch remains active for counties in Eastern North Carolina. The remnants of Hurricane Sally did not dump as much rain on the Carolinas as predicted. The heaviest rain in the ABC11 viewing area was in Franklin and…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center It’s been a record-breaking Atlantic hurricane season, and it’s very possible we’ll run out of names soon. Only one name – Wilfred – remains on the list generated at the beginning of hurricane season by the World Meteorological Organization. After WiIfred, subsequent storms would be named based on the Greek alphabet. The last time that happened was 2005, when there were 28 named storms. Now that the threat of flooding…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — The flooding threat in North Carolina from what’s left of Hurricane Sally has nearly vanished. The Flash Flood Watch was canceled for the entire ABC11 viewing area, except for Northampton County. Although the Flash Flood Watch remains active for counties in Eastern North Carolina. The remnants of Hurricane Sally did not dump as much rain on the Carolinas as predicted. The heaviest rain in the ABC11 viewing area was in Franklin and…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center A flash flood watch has expired for the Triangle and much of central North Carolina after an active night of rain and some storms from the remnants of Hurricane Sally. The rainy conditions seen across the Triangle on Thursday lessened into the night along with the threat for possible tornadoes. A tornado watch for counties south of the Triangle was canceled as of 8:30 p.m. Some coastal counties and a…

RALEIGH (WTVD) — The remnants of Hurricane Sally didn’t dump nearly as much rain on the Carolinas as predicted; but we’re not necessarily in the clear yet, flash flood warnings continue well into Friday afternoon. Much of central North Carolina prepared for torrential flooding but saw at most 2 inches of rain. The Weather Prediction Center, a branch of the National Weather Service, predicted 3 to 5 inches of rain for our area through Saturday….

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Much of North Carolina was under a flash flood watch and a Level 2 risk for severe storms on Thursday and into Friday evening. The rainy conditions we’ve seen across the Triangle on Thursday were lessening into the night along with the threat for possible tornadoes. The Tornado Watch for counties south of the Triangle has been canceled as of 8:30 p.m. Areas around central North Carolina have received an…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Much of North Carolina is under a flash flood watch and a Level 2 risk for severe storms on Thursday and into Friday evening. The rainy conditions we’ve seen across the Triangle on Thursday were lessening into the night along with the threat for possible tornadoes. The Tornado Watch for counties south of the Triangle has been canceled as of 8:30 p.m. Areas around central North Carolina have received an…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center The rainy conditions we’ve seen across the Triangle on Thursday were lessening into the night along with the threat for possible tornadoes. Parts of Central North Carolina remained under a Tornado Watch until 11 p.m. on Thursday. Tornado watches were canceled for Cumberland and Hoke counties as of 8 p.m. They remained in effect for Duplin, Lenoir, Sampson and Wayne counties until 11 p.m. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Parts of Central North Carolina remain under a Tornado Watch until 11 p.m. on Thursday. Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson, and Wayne Counties are included in the Tornado Watch. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the highest potential for tornado activity was earlier in the day for Cumberland County. The highest tornado potential through the early evening was for areas in Sampson County, Wayne County and southern Johnston County until around 8 p.m….

CANTONMENT, Fla. — The firetrucks and rescue vehicles kept passing her house even after Elaine Hulgan, 76, wrote “IN ATTIC HELP” on the front door. So Hulgan’s 84-year-old husband resorted to his best emergency signal: an ear-splitting whistle. The noise rose above the din, and a firefighter on a Jet Ski soon rescued the couple and their two dogs off the front stoop of their brick home. The Florida couple was trapped in their home…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Parts of Central North Carolina are under a Tornado Watch until 11 p.m. on Thursday. Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson, and Wayne Counties are included in the Tornado Watch. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the highest potential for a tornado for Cumberland County is about 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Eventually the highest tornado potential will track towards Sampson County, Wayne County, southern Johnston County between about 6 p.m. and 8 p.m….

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Parts of Central North Carolina are under a Tornado Watch until 11 p.m. on Thursday. Cumberland, Hoke, Sampson, and Wayne Counties are included in the Tornado Watch. Much of the state is also under a flash flood watch and a Level 2 risk for severe storms on Thursday and into Friday evening. Remnants from Sally are bringing us excessive rainfall and flooding. Rain will be possible all day on Thursday…

By ANDREW SELSKY, Associated Press SALEM, Ore. — It began as a stunning light show on a mid-August weekend — lightning bolts crackling in the skies over Northern and Central California, touching down in grasslands and vineyards. The National Weather Service warned that the dry lightning striking a parched landscape “could lead to new wildfire.” It turned out to be a huge understatement. Thousands of bolts ignited hundreds of fires in California and at least…

A seven-year-old Texas girl couldn’t contain her excitement seeing her dad return after 25 days of fighting wildfires in California. Adley Blount greeted her dad with a hug and cheers as he arrived home, and the sweet reunion was captured on video. Quincy Blount of McKinney, Texas, was among the first 44 firefighters sent out to California last month. Now, more than 200 Texas firefighters are helping on the front lines of the various fires…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Much of the state is under a flash flood watch and a Level 2 risk for severe storms on Thursday and into Friday evening. Remnants from Sally are bringing us excessive rainfall and flooding. Rain will be possible all day on Thursday and Friday. WRAL’s Severe Weather team says to expect the heaviest rain on Thursday afternoon and evening. If you are driving on Thursday evening, be aware of flooded…