Raleigh North Carolina News

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — After a chilly start on Tuesday, temperatures will swing upwards for the week — ushering in the threat for severe weather on Thursday. Highs will be in the mid to upper 70s for Wednesday and Thursday. Wednesday will be a mostly dry day, but storms will be possible Thursday afternoon and evening, and some could become strong to severe in the early evening hours. The air will…

By Kat Campbell, WRAL meteorologist On TV and online, our team of meteorologists often reference a threat for severe weather on a scale of 1 through 5 with 1 being the lowest and 5 being the highest. Spring is the top severe weather season in NC, so it is important you understand what these threat categories mean to better assess your risk and prepare ahead of bad weather. Severe weather is officially defined as a…

By The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — A tornado that killed a man near New Orleans this week was the metro area’s second strongest on record and left an 11.5-mile track northeast through three parishes, the National Weather Service said Thursday. Its winds hit 160 mph (257 km/h) Tuesday night in the suburban St. Bernard Parish community of Arabi, making it an EF-3 tornado, according to a preliminary report released Thursday. That put it behind…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The National Weather Service at 8:12 a.m. canceled a tornado warning for Johnston County. A tornado warning was canceled earlier for Harnett County, where the storm appeared to be strongest, although no damage reports or indications that a tornado touched the ground were confirmed. Halifax County is under a severe thunderstorm warning until 8:30 a.m. Thursday will be a mostly cloudy day with scattered to widespread rain…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Johnston County until 8:15 a.m. Thursday. At 7:50 a.m. the system was moving 25 mph northeast, leaving Harnett County and headed toward southwestern Johnston County. People in areas north of Benson need to be alert, including near the intersection of Interstate 40 and N.C. Highway 210, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. There were no reports of the…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for Harnett and Johnston counties until 8:15 a.m. Thursday. Specifically, the tornado warning is for eastern Harnett County and southwestern Johnson County. As of 7:22 a.m. Thursday, the NWS said a severe thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado. It was located near Lillington, moving northeast at 25 mph. The NWS said flying debris is dangerous to those without…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A tornado warning was issued just before 7:30 a.m. for Harnett and Johnston counties. The warning includes Erwin, Benson and Lillington until 8:15 a.m. ABC11 live coverage can be viewed in the above media player. —WEATHER FORECAST BELOW— Isolated Severe Risk Today: Additional showers and thunderstorms will develop through Thursday morning and into early afternoon along and ahead of the cold front. A few storms may become severe. Damaging winds are…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — Thursday will be a mostly cloudy day with scattered to widespread rain developing and moving through our area this morning and afternoon. While central North Carolina will see only scattered rain during the first half of the day, counties east of the Triangle are under a Level 1 risk for severe weather Thursday afternoon, where a few strong storms are possible through the evening as a cold front…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — The severe threat for central North Carolina has been dropped as air continues to stabilize but widespread showers are likely to fill back in on Thursday morning. WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said the severe weather threat materialized close to the North Carolina mountains on Thursday night with three tornado warnings within an hour. A tornado watch was also issued for the Foothills on Wednesday night. A cold…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — A system that produced a tornado warning in parts of the Triad is heading towards the Triangle. The warning was issued for parts of Davidson, Guilford and Randolph counties until 5:15 p.m. Most of the state is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather beginning Wednesday afternoon as a system that has spawned tornadoes across the Deep South moves into the area. Scattered showers and storms…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — A system that produced a tornado warning in parts of the Triad is heading towards the Triangle. The warning was issued for parts of Davidson, Guilford and Randolph counties until 5:15 p.m. The National Weather Service said at 4:30 p.m. a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 8 miles east of Thomasville. Most of the state is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — A tornado warning is in effect for parts of Davidson, Guilford and Randolph counties until 5:15 p.m. The National Weather Service said at 4:30 p.m. a thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 8 miles east of Thomasville. Most of the state is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather beginning Wednesday afternoon as a system that has spawned tornadoes across the Deep South moves…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Severe weather is possible in central North Carolina on Wednesday. The weather system that brought tornadoes to Texas and Louisiana is pushing into North Carolina. The National Weather Service has placed the region under a level 2 of 5 risk for severe storms. The storms could include damaging winds, hail and even isolated tornadoes. TIMING Scattered showers could begin around noon. However, the strongest storms will not arrive until a little…

By WRAL Severe Weather Center Raleigh, N.C. — A line of strong storms, which spawned tornadoes across Texas and the Deep South over the past two days, will impact North Carolina on Wednesday. Most of the state is under a Level 2 risk for severe weather beginning Wednesday afternoon, but scattered showers will move into the area around noon. Although the storm system is the same system that moved through the Deep South, the severe…

By Katy Reckdahl and Christine Chung, New York Times NEW ORLEANS — A tornado touched down in the New Orleans area Tuesday night, passing through the city and killing at least one person, heavily damaging homes, knocking out power and prompting a search for residents who may be trapped, according to local authorities. The tornado hit both the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans and St. Bernard Parish, communities devastated by Hurricane Katrina. One person…