Triangle's slow moving storms bring flooding woes, power outages

By Alfred Charles, WRAL.com managing editor

Raleigh, N.C. — Storms could pop up around the Triangle Thursday evening just in time for the afternoon commute home.

Wake County was under a severe thunderstorm warning until 4:15 p.m., and flood advisories from the National Weather Service covered other counties, including Wake and Durham until 4:15 p.m.

WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said to expect storms until the evening, and the possibility of a stray overnight shower could not be ruled out.

Around 3 p.m., a falling tree near the intersection of Whitaker Mill and Wake Forest roads was blamed for hitting utility equipment, cutting power to the area. Traffic lights in the area were out and Raleigh police were called to the area to direct traffic.

According to Duke Energy, there were 8,000 customers without power in Raleigh as of 3:55 p.m.

Although a severe weather risk has not been issued for the region, heavy rain and damaging winds are possible during that time span, along with lightning and blustery winds.

Officials with the Town of Knightdale said communication lines connected to the Knightdale Community Pool were struck by lightning Thursday afternoon, severing the pool’s ability to place landline phone calls, prompting officials to order the pool’s closure until further notice.

Officials did not say when the communication lines would be restored or when the pool might reopen.

“We will put out a notice once we know when the pool will reopen,” the town said in a written statement.

The slow-moving storm that rolled through Raleigh flooded an area at 310 S. West Street and left some drivers stranded.

“There’s plenty of moisture in the atmosphere, so if one of these storms sets up and doesn’t move a whole lot, we could be in for some flooding this afternoon,” Gardner said.

A small cool down is headed our way. Thursday’s high will be 91 degrees, while Friday’s high drops to 86 degrees.

According to Gardner, Friday also comes with a good chance for rain and storms, with a 60 percent chance in the afternoon and evening.

That chance decreases during the weekend, with a 50 percent chance of storms Saturday and a 30 percent chance Sunday.

“Be sure to keep your umbrella handy, you’ll need it through the weekend,” Gardner said, adding that a 30 percent chance of rain could linger into next week.

Usually, the middle or end of August starts to bring in cooler days, Gardner said. By Aug. 31, our normal high is in the mid 80s, but we lose an hour of sunlight.