⚠️WRAL Weather Alert Day⚠️Widespread outages, tornadoes & flash flooding impacting NC Thursday morning

A tornado warning is in effect for Nash County and Franklin County until 8:30 a.m. Thursday.

Two tornadoes touched down in North Carolina Thursday morning. There have been several tornado warnings issued overnight, with more than a dozen counties under a tornado watch Thursday morning.

Flash flooding warnings have also been issued for Wake, Durham, Orange and several other counties until 10:15 a.m. Thursday. WRAL meteorologists are advising people to stay at home.

What you need to know

• Alerts:
  • A tornado warning is in effect for Nash County and Franklin County until 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
  • Tornado watches are in effect for several several North Carolina counties near the Atlantic Coast until 8 a.m. Thursday. Two tornadoes touched down in Wilson and Edgecombe counties Thursday morning.
  • Flash flood warnings are in effect for Wake, Durham, Orange and several other counties until 10:15 a.m. Thursday.
  • A flood watch is in effect for central and eastern North Carolina until 9 p.m. on Friday.
  • Wednesday, Thursday and Friday are all WRAL Weather Alert Days due to the flood risk. The greatest weather impact is expected on Thursday.
  • Parts of the North Carolina coast are under tropical storm watches and warnings.
• Extreme flood risk: A rare extreme flood risk is in effect Thursday for the Triangle, the Triad and much of central North Carolina, according to NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center.
  • Extreme risks are responsible for 39% of flood-related deaths and 83% of flood-related damages.
• Storm track: Debby is sitting off the South Carolina coast. The latest track shows Debby moving across North Carolina Thursday night.
• Impact: Central North Carolina could see up to 9 inches of rain, with higher amounts and flooding along and east of Interstate 95 and at the coast.

WRAL Weather Alert Day: Debby wreaks havoc in NC

The heaviest rain is expected fall in the Triangle and central N.C. late Wednesday night through Thursday morning, with flooding, gusty winds, power outages and tornadoes all possible.

A tornado warning is in effect for Nash County and Franklin County until 8:30 a.m. Thursday. Tornado warnings and watches have popped up across central N.C. throughout the morning.

Tornado watches are in effect for several several North Carolina counties near the Atlantic Coast until 1 p.m. Thursday.

Two tornadoes hit Wilson County and Edgecombe County early Thursday morning. Multiple homes and a middle school were badly damaged in Wilson County near Lucama.

Flash flooding warnings have been issued for Wake, Durham, Orange and several other counties until 10:15 a.m. Thursday. Part of Interstate 95 South is closed in Cumberland County due to flooding.

WRAL meteorologists are advising people to stay at home. If you have to drive, make sure you are using extreme caution. Most deaths and injuries happen when people attempt to drive through flooded roads.

We’re also seeing widespread outages across the state due to Tropical Storm Debby. As of 4 a.m. Thursday, more than 32,000 customers were without power across the state. As of 7:30 a.m., that number has increased to more than 80,000 customers, according to Duke Energy. There are more than 4,300 customers without power in Wake County, and nearly 3,000 customers do not have power in Orange County.

The 11 p.m. Wednesday update from the National Hurricane Center shows Debby remains a tropical storm off the coast of South Carolina, moving north at a slow 3 mph. The storm’s maximum sustained winds have gained some speed and are now moving at 60 mph. The slow-moving storm will move north-northwest, crossing North Carolina as either a tropical depression or tropical storm by Friday. The greatest impact to our state comes on Thursday.

President Joe Biden has declared an emergency in North Carolina due to the expected impacts of Tropical Storm Debby. The emergency declaration means North Carolina can get federal assistance with disaster relief efforts.

Find the very latest Debby news here

Tornado warnings were issued Wednesday for New Hanover, Pender and Sampson counties. In Sampson County, a tornado touched down near Harrells, causing major damage.

Debby is expected to dump heavy rain across central and eastern North Carolina through Friday. According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, rain will become more intense in central N.C. Thursday morning.

“The flood risk is the highest it’s been in nearly five years for our area,” WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said.

Click here to see which areas are most at risk of flooding.

North Carolina State Fire Marshal Brian Taylor said Debby could rival the devastating impacts of Hurricane Florence.

“All indications are pointing to this storm being similar in magnitude to Hurricane Florence,” Taylor said. “Residents should be prepared for widespread power outages and severe flooding across the central and eastern regions of North Carolina.”

A tropical storm warning is in effect for parts of the N.C. coast, which means that tropical storm conditions and serious flooding is expected. The storm surge watch has been canceled for the North Carolina coast, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. A storm surge of 1 to 3 feet is still expected along the coast, but it isn’t high enough to trigger a storm surge warning.

This tropical storm will be especially dangerous since it’s slow-moving, which means it can drop a lot of rain over a longer period of time. This could lead to dangerous flooding.

It will be windy throughout the day on Thursday, with some areas expected to experience gusts up to 45 mph. However, wind gusts will be strongest on Friday.

The high wind speeds and saturated ground increase the risk of trees falling down, which could lead to outages and other problems.

WRAL meteorologists estimate between 3 to 9 inches for WRAL’s coverage area, mainly between Wednesday and Friday. The coast, however, could see more than 10 inches of rain.

WRAL meteorologists said, as of Thursday morning, Cumberland County has already seen more than 5 inches of rain.

Estimated rain totals from Debby include:

• Wilmington: 10-15 inches
• Fayetteville: 6-9 inches
• Raleigh: 4-7 inches
• Durham: 4-7 inches
• Northern counties: 3-5 inches

Highs will be cooler, in the low 80s, throughout Debby’s impact.

Debby has already drenched coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina with more than a foot of rain in places, stirring up tornadoes and submerging streets with waist-high floodwaters.

At least six people have died in Florida, either from weather-related crashes or fallen trees. The Georgia and South Carolina coast could see up to 30 inches of rain through Thursday as the storm stalls out over the southeast.