Raleigh and Fayetteville now under level 3 risk for severe weather Thursday

Raleigh, N.C. — The Storm Prediction Center has upgraded parts of the Triangle to a level 3 risk for severe weather Thursday.

Parts of Raleigh to the north and east, including Durham, are under a level 2 risk, while Fayetteville and areas south and west of the Triangle, are under level 3. View all weather alerts.

According to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner, the severe weather is expected to arrive in central North Carolina as early as noon Thursday, bringing the threat for isolated tornadoes, heavy rain and strong winds. By 6 p.m. Thursday, the main brunt of the storms could be in our viewing area, although meteorologist Mike Maze said the timing for when the bad weather arrives could still alter a bit.

“But it’s looking more confident it will be an earlier event than an overnight threat, which is certainly better news,” Maze said.

By 10 p.m., Maze said the threat would be in our eastern counties. By midnight, the threat would be mainly over. There could still be a chance of a shower in the morning.

The Futurecast has also been updated to show the severe weather arriving earlier than previously predicted and hanging over the Triangle for several hours.

“This is going to be a really serious situation for us tomorrow, ” said Gardner.

Between 1 to 3 inches of rain, wind gusts between 50 to 60 mph and isolated tornadoes will be possible with this system.

To the west of the Triangle, heaver rain is expected with flash flooding possible. A flood watch has been issued for many counties in the WRAL viewing area from 6 a.m. Thursday to 1 a.m. Friday. Once the system goes through that part of the state, it is expected to begin to lose some of its punch as it moves east and off our coast by Friday morning.

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After the rain moves out Friday morning, we’ll be left with cooler days. Highs in the low to mid 50s are expected for Friday and Saturday, but the weekend will be dry.

Heavy rains soaked large parts of Mississippi and Alabama early Tuesday, and two dozen counties in north Georgia will be under a flood watch through Friday morning, where some rainfall amounts could eclipse 5 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

Once the severe weather ends, the weekend will be cooler with temperatures near freezing Friday night and around 50 on Saturday afternoon. By Monday, temperatures will be in the upper 60s with Tuesday’s high expected to be near 70 with a 50 percent chance of rain .