Raleigh North Carolina News

The sun was setting in a cloudless sky when salt water crept across Canal Drive, pooling over storm drains and glinting beneath mailboxes. No hurricane. No nor’easter. Just an ordinary high tide riding on a higher sea. On days like this, parts of Carolina Beach can feel stranded. Researchers told the town council this week that salt water reached its streets on more than 60 days over the past year. Down East, some communities now…

A North Carolina couple told WRAL News their reservation was canceled at a local hotel because they are Durham residents. Gwendolyn and Ira Montague live in north Durham, and their home of 50 years was severely damaged in flooding from Chantal. The retired couple stayed at a nearby Holiday Inn for a couple of nights, before making an online reservation to stay at the Candlewood Suites on North Carolina Highway 54.  Gwendolyn Montague told WRAL News…

The National Weather Service has issued more flood warnings in 2025 than any other year on record, dating back to 1986. The last two weeks have seen intense flooding across the country, including the flood in Kerr County, Texas, that killed more than 120 people, including 27 children attending summer camp. North Carolina, New Mexico, New York and New Jersey have also been impacted over this short span of time.  Chantal, which hit North Carolina…

Workers in Chapel Hill who lost their jobs after flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal can get help Monday as they plan their next steps. Two 90-minute sessions will be held Monday, at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the Chapel Hill Public Library, located at 100 Library Drive, in meeting room B. The event, which is open to anyone in need of job assistance, will provide attendees with information about unemployment benefits, education and training opportunities…

For a Durham community, Chantal caused more unimaginable damage than Hurricane Fran, a Category 3 storm, did nearly 30 years ago. The beloved Eno Valley Swim and Racquet Club is attempting to rebuild, as buildings on the property have been stripped to the frame, fencing is gone, and electrical work is just the beginning of the extensive work ahead.  “It was like Chantal just stayed and poured everything she had into our pool and onto…

The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners met for a special meeting Wednesday to make budget decisions and provide updates related to Tropical Storm Chantal. Tropical Storm Chantal brought an estimated 10.5 inches of rain to Hillsborough, leading to a rapid increase in the levels of the Eno River. In addition to other damages to town facilities, the Public Works facility was inundated, causing a total loss of nine vehicles. The town said the estimated replacement cost…

A closely watched tract adjacent to Lake Crabtree County Park would become a “recreation and wellness destination” under a proposal being considered by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority.  The governing body of the airport said Thursday that it is in talks with a Dallas-based developer to redevelop 136 acres of airport land near Aviation Parkway and Interstate 40 — land that once contained a 9-mile tangle of mountain bike trails. RDU’s preferred developer, Pacific Elm Properties, is…

There has been a head-spinning amount of flooding this month, and not just in North Carolina. It includes Texas, New Mexico, Illinois, New York, New Jersey and Missouri. The Texas floods were from the remnants of a tropical storm. The flooding in central North Carolina was from Tropical Depression Chantal. In parts of Chapel Hill, there was more rain than we saw from Hurricane Fran in September 1996. It doesn’t always take a tropical system…

The town, university and organizations in Chapel Hill are teaming up to host a flood resource event for businesses impacted by destructive flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal last week.  The event will be held between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday at Innovate Carolina Junction, 136 E. Rosemary St. “We have been made aware of about 35, 40 businesses that have been completely wiped out that don’t have their products available anymore or don’t…

North Carolina Attorney General Jeff Jackson sued the Federal Emergency Management Administration on Wednesday over its decision to cancel a program that provides more than $200 million to protect North Carolina’s infrastructure, including water and sewer services devastated by recent storms. Jackson’s announcement about the FEMA lawsuit included a list of canceled grants in North Carolina. He’s seeking to get the money reinstated as quickly as possible, he said. The Atlatnic hurricane season is underway…

The Carolina Hurricanes announced their schedule for the 2025-26 season. Carolina, which reached the Eastern Conference Final for the second time in three seasons, is seeking an eighth consecutive playoff appearance under coach Rod Brind’Amour. Carolina made a big splash in the offseason, trading for defenseman K’Andre Miller from the New York Rangers and signing free-agent forward Nikolaj Ehlers, who played for Winnipeg since 2015. Opening night Thursday, Oct. 9 vs. New Jersey Devils at Lenovo Center…

Many residents are still cleaning up after several bouts of rain through central North Carolina, and some residents in Orange and Durham counties said they’re concerned about more. It’s been a soggy July. In the first 15 days of the month this year, we’ve had nearly five inches of rain at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. According to WRAL meteorologists, it’s more than 2 inches above the normal amount of rainfall in July. Three days this month…

The threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms is always persistent during Triangle summers. Some of the hardest-hit spots from recent downpours are hoping for a much-needed reprieve from the rain to get back on their feet. Almost every business in Chapel Hill’s Eastgate Crossing was impacted when a nearby creek overflowed during Tropical Depression Chantal. In total, Orange County Emergency Management estimates people in the county lost $22.6 million. A week later, many of those…

The town of Hillsborough provided an update Friday afternoon on efforts to restore water and sewer services. Flash flooding from Tropical Depression Chantal sent raw sewage into the Eno River earlier this week, prompting a boil water advisory. The town lifted the advisory on Wednesday, but people in the town are still urged to conserve water. The town’s plan is to have its wastewater treatment plant fully back online by Monday. “Our water plant is not online…

For neighborhoods along the Eno River in north Durham, this week was a 1-2 punch of storms, flooding and mid-July grade heat.  It all started Sunday night when some were woken up in the middle of the night by rescue teams pounding at their door. Since then, it’s been touch-and-go with some taking their concerns to city and county leaders about the recent flooding.  The Old Farm neighborhood is right on the line between city…