Raleigh North Carolina News

Thursday marked five years since Hurricane Florence made landfall at Wrightsville Beach as a Category 1 hurricane. Florence brought a state record 8.27-foot storm surge. While Florence was at Category 4 strength (130-156 mph) on Sept. 10, 2018, it was an upper end Category 1 hurricane days later when it made landfall in North Carolina. Florence made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Over the…

Thursday marks five years since Hurricane Florence made landfall at Wrightsville Beach as a Category 1 hurricane. Florence brought a state record 8.27-foot storm surge. While Florence was at Category 4 strength (130-156 mph) on Sept. 10, 2018, it was an upper end Category 1 hurricane days later when it made landfall in North Carolina. Florence made landfall at 7:15 a.m. ET Friday, Sept. 14, 2018, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Over the…

NEW ENGLAND — Hurricane Lee looks poised to wallop New England later this week even as the region still deals with the impact of days of wild weather that produced torrential rain, flooding, sinkholes and a likely tornado. A hurricane watch stretches from Stonington, Maine to the U.S.-Canadian border, where hurricane conditions, heavy rainfall and coastal flooding are possible Friday night and Saturday, the National Hurricane Center said Wednesday night. Areas from Watch Hill, Rhode…

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Hurricane Lee barreled north toward New England on Wednesday and threatened to unleash violent storms on the region just as communities in Massachusetts and Rhode Island dealt with tornado warnings and a second-straight day of heavy rain that opened up sinkholes and brought devastating flooding to several communities. Late Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for portions of Maine. A tropical storm watch also was issued for a…

Hurricane Lee set a record as the fastest system to intensify from a tropical storm to a Category 5 in Atlantic hurricane season history. It’s since downgraded to a Cat 4, but climate scientists say Lee could be a precursor for storms to come. “Warm water to hurricanes that’s like adding gas to a fire,” said WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell. Record hot ocean temperatures are fueling the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season. Monstrous Hurricane Lee is…

LAHAINA, Hawaii — Wildfires tore across parts of Maui last month and now the displaced community searches for answers about their future. Thousands were displaced, as their homes and businesses were burned to the ground. 115 people have been pronounced dead in connection with the blazes. The disaster area is dotted with crews dressed head to toe in hazmat suits and hard hats who are sifting through the rubble searching for hazardous materials in the…

Thursday, September 7, 2023 3:33PM RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Hurricane Lee is now a category 2 storm and is expected to strengthen into a major storm later today or overnight. At 11 a.m., the National Hurricane Center said the storm’s maximum sustained winds were up to 105 miles per hour with gusts up to 125 mph. Lee is moving west-northwest and that is expected to continue through Friday. It is expected to slow over the…

We are getting very close to the climatological peak of hurricane season, and activity is certainly heating up. Hurricane Lee has been the big focus with major development expected into the weekend. There has been a lot of talk about whether the system could strengthen into a Category 5 hurricane north of the Caribbean Islands. For this classification to take place, we would have to see 157 mph winds or greater. The current forecast keeps…

Wednesday, September 6, 2023 11:54AM RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Tropical Storm Lee is expected to make a northerly turn away from the Caribbean Islands as it moves west. It could reach hurricane status sometime today and has sustained winds of around 65 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 80 miles from the center, according to National Hurricane Center. The best chance for Lee to make landfall in the United States appears to be to…

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 4:17PM RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Tropical depression 13 is making its way west across the Atlantic Ocean, and it is forecast to become a powerful hurricane by the end of the week. The center of the tropical depression is moving towards the Leeward Islands and has maximum sustained winds near 35 mph with even higher gusts, according to the latest advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Forecasts have Lee becoming a…

Tens of thousands of people attending the Burning Man festival in the Nevada desert are being told to conserve food, water and fuel as they shelter in place in the Black Rock Desert after a heavy rainstorm pummeled the area, festival organizers said. The gate and airport into Black Rock City, a remote area in northwest Nevada, remain closed and no driving is allowed into or out of the city except for emergency vehicles, the…

The main road, South Madison Street, through downtown Whiteville has reopened, along with several businesses. However, many businesses are closed, as business owners clean up from Tropical Storm Idalia. “A flood has a distinctive smell,” business owner Sammy Jacobs said. “It’s just a mess to clean up.” Jacobs owns What-A-Burger in Whiteville. It is not a part of the national chain. Instead, it’s a locally-owned hamburger shop, best known for its breaded french fries. “This…

Businesses and residents in Columbus County are assessing the damage after Tropical Storm Idalia brought flooding to the area. In Whiteville, the town’s downtown area was particularly hard hit. Overflow from surrounding swamps covered roads, entered businesses, and flooded homes. Angela Mczeke, a business owner who was supposed to have her grand opening next month, watched as water swirled around her store. “I kinda just cried a little bit and then a little bit of…

Friday, September 1, 2023 12:14AM FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) — Though the water level at Cross Creek has increased by a few inches as Idalia passes through the Sandhills, Fayetteville and Cumberland County officials say it the storm had a moderate impact to the area. Cumberland County says only four people came to the emergency shelters it set up in Fayetteville with the Sandhills Red Cross chapter at the Smith and Kiwanis Recreation Centers. A Fayetteville…

A pregnant South Carolina woman is grateful to be alive after her car flipped Wednesday while she was driving during Tropical Storm Idalia. The National Weather Service determined there was a weak tornado in Goose Creek, South Carolina, while Malaijha Smoke was driving along U.S. 52. “My seatbelt [was] literally pressing against me while I [was] in the air,” Smoke said. “I’m like, ‘Oh, my gosh. The baby.’ I’m just hoping everything is ok.” Smoke,…