Raleigh North Carolina News

Wake Forest, N.C. — Wake Forest police say two homes in town were recently damaged from gunshots and they’re looking for those responsible. The homes, which aren’t believed to be the targets of the shooters, were in the Del Webb at Traditions neighborhood. Wake Forest Police Chief Jeff Leonard said the homes were damaged by stray bullets. No one was injured. Police believe the homes may have been shot at by people hunting or shooting during target practice….

By Zachary Turner, Coastal Review Online Whiteville, N.C. — Dr. Justin T. Maxwell is an associate professor of geography at Indiana University, where he researches paleoclimatology, the study of the Earth’s past climates. Most recently, he explored the historical relationship between longleaf pines and tropical cyclone precipitation. Maxwell reconstructed North Carolina and South Carolina seasonal extreme rainfall totals as far back as 1700 by sampling tree rings from the Carolinas’ coastal plains. In a rare…

By Ken Smith, WRAL anchor/reporter It’s been a scary scene in parts of the Outer Banks these past few days. Extreme high tides and flooding shut down transportation, trapping a number of campers who were on Hatteras Island. Images from the flooding show waves crashing against homes, vehicles pushing through floodwaters and even a toppled dune. Ferries were canceled due to high winds, and Highway 12, the only north-south route on the Outer Banks, was…

By Jennifer Gray, CNN meteorologist Now that hurricane season is winding down, a different storm season is ramping up. Originating 93 million miles away from Earth, solar storms — produced by the sun — have both stunning and potentially dangerous effects here on Earth. “The sun provides us with life, with heat and light. But periodically is emits a blast of radiation that affects us here on earth and it can occur in different forms….

By Donny Bowers, WRAL photojournalist & Heather Leah, WRAL multiplatform producer A storm system along the coast has been bringing rain, flooding and gusting winds to North Carolina this weekend. While the Triangle avoided most of the rain and storm’s impacts, the coast was a different story. Winds of up to 35 mph and flooding caused difficulties for visitors and residents of the Outer Banks. The storm’s impacts caused road closures and cancelation of ferries…

By AGUS BASUKI, Associated Press KOTA BATU, Indonesia — Flash floods from torrential rains on Indonesia’s main island of Java killed at least six people and three others were missing, officials said Friday. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said rivers on the slopes of Mount Arjuno overflowed their banks on Thursday and their muddy waters inundated five hamlets in Kota Batu, a city in East Java province. It said 15 people were swept away and…

By The Associated Press JAKARTA, Indonesia — Torrential rains triggered flash floods on Indonesia’s main island of Java on Thursday that left at least 11 people missing, officials said. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said rivers on the slopes of Mount Arjuno overflowed their banks and inundated five hamlets in Kota Batu, a city in East Java province. It said 15 people were swept away and four were later rescued. The agency chief, Ganip Warsito,…

By The New York Times, New York Times For the second time in two years, and only the third time in history, meteorologists have exhausted the list of names used to identify storms during the Atlantic hurricane season. With the formation of Subtropical Storm Wanda on Saturday, there have been 21 named storms so far this year, starting with Tropical Storm Ana in May. If more storms form, the National Weather Service will move on…

By Derrick Bryson Taylor, New York Times The waters across the Atlantic Ocean have been mostly calm. There hasn’t been widespread panic to buy plywood, sandbags or generators in weeks. The National Hurricane Center’s Twitter account hasn’t shared an active-storm message for the Atlantic since Oct. 9, and there have been no warnings or threats along the Gulf Coast and East Coast since. Is hurricane season fizzling out early? “Nope. We’re not done yet,” Dennis…

By The Associated Press BOSTON — A nor’easter that battered the U.S. coast with hurricane-force wind gusts left 425,000 people without power in Massachusetts and forced the closure of bridges, ferries and schools in the region on Wednesday. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reported the widespread power outages Wednesday morning as areas along the coast experienced wind gusts of 80-90 miles per hour (130-145 kilometers per hour). About 90,000 people lost power in Rhode Island,…

By The Associated Press BOSTON — A nor’easter barreled up the U.S. coast Tuesday, and forecasters warned it could bring flooding, hurricane-force wind gusts and widespread power outages to New England. The worst of the storm was expected to lash the region late Tuesday through Wednesday morning. Wind gusts as high as 75 mph were forecast on Cape Cod, with sustained winds as high as 45 mph. The National Weather Service warned that waves off…

By The Associated Press MEXICO CITY — A compact Hurricane Rick roared ashore along Mexico’s southern Pacific coast early Monday with 105 mph (165 kmh) winds and heavy rain amid warnings of potential flash floods in the coastal mountains. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Rick made landfall as a Category 2 storm about 15 miles (25 kms) east of the port of Lazaro Cardenas around 5 a.m. local time. Later Monday, Rick weakened to…

By The Associated Press ST. MARY, Mo. — A suspected tornado damaged buildings and knocked out power in communities along the state line between Missouri and Illinois, and damage was reported in other parts of the states from severe weather. One suspected tornado moved Sunday night through St. Mary, Missouri, about 55 miles (88 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, before crossing the Mississippi River into Chester, Illinois, the National Weather Service reported. There were no…

By The Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO — Northern California residents relieved that this week’s rain helped contain stubborn wildfires and soaked dry gardens were cleaning up Friday and preparing for a massive storm this weekend that could bring flash flooding to vast areas scorched by fire. A flood warning was posted in part of Siskiyou County bordering Oregon, where “local law enforcement reported debris flow and flooding on (a) roadway from excessive runoff,” according to…

By Mark Hibbs, Coastal Review Carteret County, N.C. — It’s been three years since Hurricane Florence and five years since Hurricane Matthew – both of which wreaked havoc in North Carolina, damaging or destroying homes and disrupting lives. Those whose homes were most severely damaged are in some cases still rebuilding. Others remain in limbo, waiting for promised assistance from the state. Brenda Hite works as a certified nursing assistant and lives in an older…