Raleigh North Carolina News

At least 50 people are likely dead after multiple tornadoes barreled through southwestern Kentucky late Friday, according to Gov. Andy Beshear. “We believe our death toll from this event will exceed 50 Kentuckians, probably end up closer to 70 to 100 lost lives,” Beshear said at a briefing Saturday morning, calling the storms that hit the state “the most severe tornado event in Kentucky’s history.” Preliminary investigations indicate four tornadoes may have hit the state,…

At least two people were killed Friday night when a reported tornado ripped through an Arkansas nursing home, and emergency crews in southern Illinois were also responding to reports of injuries at an Amazon warehouse after a roof collapsed amid storms there. Craighead County Judge Marvin Day told The Associated Press that a tornado struck the Monette Manor nursing home at about 8:15 p.m., trapping 20 people inside as the building collapsed. Five people had…

HONOLULU — Relentless rain in Hawaii has left parts of the state under the threat of “significant and life-threatening flooding,” the National Weather Service in Honolulu said Monday night, with some areas already tallying more than a foot of rain over a 48-hour span. Sheets of drenching rain came down as low-lying roads pooled with water, forcing drivers to navigate the flooded roadways. The western Hawaiian Islands are under a flood watch through Tuesday afternoon,…

By CALEB JONES, Associated Press HONOLULU — A strong storm packing high winds and extremely heavy rain flooded roads and downed power lines and tree branches across Hawaii, with officials warning Monday of potentially worse conditions ahead. The National Weather Service said the storm brings the threat of “catastrophic flooding” in the coming days as a low pressure system slowly moves from east to west and lingers on the edge of the archipelago. “Now is…

By AMY BETH HANSON, Associated Press HELENA, Mont. — A late-season wildfire pushed by strong winds ripped through a tiny central Montana farming town overnight, burning several homes and grain elevators that had stood for more than a century, authorities said. Officials were assessing the damage in Denton on Thursday morning while crews continued to fight the fire. The fire burned “around 25 structures to include grain elevators and bridges,” the Fergus County Sheriff’s Office…

By Zach Maloch, WRAL meteorologist Another Atlantic hurricane season has come and gone — and while it officially ended on Nov. 30 — the lull in activity since early-October made it feel like hurricane season ended early. Despite its very quiet end, the Atlantic hurricane season brought 21 named storms: seven becoming hurricanes and four becoming major hurricanes. Of the seven hurricanes, the first five formed at near-record pace matching 1966, 1995, 1996, 2004, 2005…

By Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist Tuesday marks the final day of the 2021 Atlantic Hurricane Season. The forecast at the beginning of the season was that it would be more active than normal – and it ended up being our third most active season on record. “It started off strong and ended up with a whimper,” said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. We didn’t see any storms in October or November, so it may seem like…

By WXII Pilot Mountain, N.C. — A wildfire on Pilot Mountain has burned over 200 acres as of Sunday night. The fire started around 5:15 p.m. on Saturday near the Grindstone Trail, according to NBC affiliate WXII. Fire officials said Pilot Mountain State Park would be closed Sunday, and likely the rest of the week, because of the wildfire. Firefighters are currently in “defensive operations” because of strong winds, reports WXII. A campground near the…

By Heather Leah, WRAL multiplatform producer If you lived in Raleigh in November of 1988, you remember the tornado. The Kmart was flattened. Asbury United Methodist Church was destroyed. Some locals still remember crouching in their bathtubs while the walls shook around them. I was only five years old. I remember walking outside that evening, pointing at the clouds and saying to my mom, “They look weird. They look scary.” I didn’t know it meant…

By FARES AKRAM, Associated Press BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip — The first rainstorm of winter sent water pouring into Ghalia al-Attar’s house through cracks in the walls and tin roof, as the widow, her children and grandchildren spread buckets across the floor. Their home was among tens of thousands that were damaged during the 11-day Gaza war in May between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which rules the isolated and impoverished territory. Hundreds…

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Just in time for Turkey Day, the Carolina Hurricanes are giving away turkeys to those in need. “This is the busiest day of the year for us. It’s like our Super Bowl,” said Nick Robertson from Urban Ministries. A more apt comparison might be the Stanley Cup Finals, since the Carolina Hurricanes were making the Wednesday morning deliveries. “We are very fortunate. With our friends at Harris Teeter, we are able…

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Flooding in Metcalf Residence Hall at North Carolina State University is forcing hundreds of students out of their dorms Monday night. University officials told WRAL News a student accidentally activated the sprinkler, injuring that student and forcing more than 400 other students to find somewhere else to stay. This chaotic scene forced students to wait hours to get inside and retrieve their belongings. Some students told WRAL…

By Aaron Thomas, WRAL reporter Raleigh, N.C. — Flooding in Metcalf Residence Hall at North Carolina State University is forcing hundreds of students out of their dorms Monday night. The cause of the flooding is believed to be a sprinkler that activated on the 11th floor. Students are being evacuated and cannot stay in the building Monday night. Many students say they have been waiting more than four hours to go inside and gather their…

By JIM MORRIS, Associated Press VANCOUVER, British Columbia — The British Columbia government announced Friday it is limiting the amount of fuel people can purchase at gas stations in some parts of the province and is restricting non-essential travel as highways begin to reopen following torrential rains that caused floods and mudslides. Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said non-essential vehicles will be limited to about 8 gallons (30 liters) per trip to the gas…

By BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press LOS ANGELES — Lightning-sparked wildfires killed thousands of giant sequoias this year, leading to a staggering two-year death toll that accounts for up to nearly a fifth of Earth’s largest trees, officials said Friday. Fires in Sequoia National Park and surrounding Sequoia National Forest tore through more than a third of groves in California and torched an estimated 2,261 to 3,637 sequoias, which are the largest trees by volume. Nearby…