Raleigh North Carolina News

If we learn only one thing from Hurricane Florence, it should be this: Don’t judge a hurricane by its category. The heavy rainfall and flooding from Florence — and the 51 people left dead in its wake (40 in North Carolina) — have renewed debate about the wind speed-based classification system currently used for hurricanes. Florence was forecast to make landfall as a Category 4 storm. People on the coast — and inland — took…

The largest power providers in North Carolina and South Carolina are doing what they can to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Michael. Those companies are asking their customers to do the same. Duke Energy and SCE&G have both issued statements warning customers to expect the worst to be caused by the Category 3 hurricane. The potential outages could result in the loss of electricity, internet access and phone service for significant periods of time,…

By Sarah Krueger, WRAL reporter Durham, N.C. — Laura Danes’ home for 25 years was deemed uninhabitable after Hurricane Florence. Water filled her basement, and much of what was inside it was ruined. Now, most of it sits in her driveway. A 30-yard dumpster, she said, is “full to the very top.” When Florence came through Durham, Northgate Park was under water, as were parts of the Old Farm neighborhood. Danes’ home, off Cole Mill…

By Gilbert Baez, WRAL reporter Spring Lake, N.C. — Many Cumberland County residents are still trying to recover from Hurricane Florence, which hit last month, and Hurricane Matthew, which hit two years ago. Two houses on Brinkley Drive in Spring Lake used to be home to three generations of the Browning family, until Hurricane Florence came storming through the neighborhood. “This is my mother’s home, and I live here with her, and my niece lives…

By Gilbert Baez, WRAL reporter Spring Lake, N.C. — Many Cumberland County residents are still trying to recover from Hurricane Florence, which hit last month, and Hurricane Matthew, which hit two years ago. Two houses on Brinkley Drive in Spring Lake used to be home to three generations of the Browning family, until Hurricane Florence came storming through the neighborhood. “This is my mother’s home, and I live here with her, and my niece lives…

Two things struck Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers as he drove east from Charlotte almost three hours on Tuesday morning to Lumberton, where he teamed with United Way in hurricane recovery efforts in the area. First was the amount of devastation left behind by Hurricane Florence, which hit the Carolinas in September. The second was how very close to home it all was for Peppers. He is a native of Bailey, which is a…

LUMBERTON, N.C. (WTVD) — Lumberton residents got a special visit from one of their favorite Carolina Panthers players when Julius Peppers came to town Tuesday. Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App The defensive end joined volunteers to help in the relief effort for Hurricane Florence. “I was born and raised about an hour and a half from here,” Peppers told ABC11’s Morgan Norwood, “so it’s personal, and I just…

Michael strengthens into a Category 3 hurricane with winds of 120 mph as it heads toward the Florida Panhandle Drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico with every passing hour, the storm was expected to blow ashore around midday Wednesday near Panama City Beach, along a lightly populated stretch of fishing villages and white-sand spring-break beaches. While Florence took five days between the time it turned into a hurricane and the…

(This story was updated at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.) Hurricane Michael was upgraded to a Category 3 hurricane at 4 p.m., Tuesday, and is forecast to make landfall Wednesday before making a predicted trek toward the Carolinas, says the National Hurricane Center. The storm’s sustained winds were 120 mph as of 4 p.m. Tuesday. A Category 3 Hurricane has winds in the 111 to 129 mph range. “Additional strengthening is expected, and Michael is forecast to…

Roy Williams Court is dedicated at UNC The basketball floor at the Smith Center is dedicated as ‘Roy Williams Court’ during a ceremony August 24, 2018. The hall-of-fame coach has led the UNC Tar Heels to three national titles in 15 seasons at his alma mater.

On Nov. 5, 2017, South Carolina hosted Virginia Tech in an exhibition game at Colonial Life Arena. The event was rare because it was a couple Power 5 schools publicly playing one another in the preseason. Such matchups normally go down as scrimmages behind closed doors. The tweak in scheduling was due to charity. Proceeds from the contest benefited those impacted by storms in Texas, South Florida and Puerto Rico. A year later, the Gamecocks…

Justin Williams still likes to have fun. He’s 37 now, in his 14th NHL season and has played more than 1,200 games, whether regular-season or playoff. That’s a lot of miles. But if you can’t have fun playing the sport you love, what’s the use? That’s the way the Carolina Hurricanes captain feels, and Williams said he senses the same from the other players. When the Canes raced past the New York Rangers 8-5 on…

Another hurricane is on track to possibly impact South Carolina as early as Wednesday night. Nonetheless, the S.C. State Fair will open at noon Wednesday, spokesman Bertram Rantin said. Beyond Wednesday, however, it is unclear how the fair’s schedule will be affected. “We are going to make plans day to day,” Rantin said, “given the fluid nature of weather.” Fair rides are operated by North American Midway Entertainment, an Indiana company that has its own…

NORTH CAROLINA — Storm surge and hurricane warnings are in effect for the northeastern Gulf Coast through Florida as Hurricane Michael continues to strengthen. Forecasters said the center of Michael will continue to move over the southeastern Gulf of Mexico today, and make landfall Wednesday afternoon in Florida. Michael was upgraded to a Category 2 storm Tuesday morning. Michael’s top sustained winds were around 100 mph as it headed NNW at 12 mph. Michael is…

Forecasters following Hurricane Michael have spotted something spooky in the satellite imagery, AccuWeather reports. On Tuesday morning, meteorologist Jim Dickey in Ft. Myers, Florida, tweeted that the storm took on the appearance of a skull in its infrared imagery as the eye began to clear out. The same phenomenon was spotted in 2016 with Hurricane Matthew. The 2018 hurricane, currently a category 2, is expected to make landfall Wednesday.