North Carolina News

Want an up-close look at Hurricane Florence? Watch the video below to see live footage from an old Coast Guard light tower, 32 miles off the coast of southeastern North Carolina. If current storm projections are correct, that won’t be far from where Florence makes landfall. [embedded content] One camera, mounted on the tower’s helipad about 100 feet above the water, should capture long views, along with the hurricane-force winds whipping the American flag. Shortly…

N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper continues to stress that residents be prepared and not take Hurricane Florence lightly as it appears likely to impact the Carolinas in the days ahead. “My message is clear: Disaster is at the doorstep and is coming in,” Cooper said during a Wednesday morning press conference. “This may be a marathon — not a sprint.” Cooper encouraged people at the coast to leave now, while there is still time to do…

This story was updated on Thursday at 4:00 p.m. Nearly 15,000 N.C. electric cooperative customers were without power Thursday afternoon along the North Carolina coast as the effects of Hurricane Florence hit the Carolinas. Carteret-Craven Electric Cooperative reported nearly 13,000 members without power around 4 p.m., according to the co-ops outage map. About 9,400 of those outages were in Carteret County, which includes Morehead City. Tideland Electric Membership Corporation reported another 1,400 members affected, about…

Florence drops to Cat 1, but still ‘life-threatening’ Thursday, 11 p.m.: Florence was downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane but was delivering “life-threatening storm surge” along the NC coast, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory. Florence had 90 mph winds, and the “threat of freshwater flooding will increase” in the days ahead, according to the advisory. The storm was about 60 miles east of Wilmington. Islamic Center opens doors to evacuees Thursday, 9:24…

This story was updated at 11:40 a.m. Thursday. With Hurricane Florence approaching, the first wave of flight cancellations later this week at Charlotte Douglas International Airport started Wednesday, but the airport remains open. Staff at Charlotte Douglas will move to 12-hour shifts and activate the airport’s irregular operations plan starting Friday evening, and assist any stranded passengers with needed supplies. Airport workers were securing equipment and sweeping building roofs and other areas for debris ahead…

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper is foreboding in his assessment Hurricane Florence. “This storm is a monster. It’s big and vicious. It’s an extremely dangerous, life-threatening, historic hurricane.” The path of Hurricane Florence has changed since Cooper made that statement Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center says it’s now expected to hit Wilmington and then veer west, taking it south of Charlotte. WCNC-TV meteorologist Brad Panovich told WFAE Morning Edition host Marshall Terry that the shift…

This story was last updated at 11:30 p.m. Thursday ▪ Charlotte could see nearly 11 inches of rain, enough to cause flooding. Forecasters say the bulk of the rain will arrive starting late Friday, and go through the weekend. ▪ The region has a better than 60 percent chance of seeing tropical storm-force winds (39 mph or higher), according to the National Hurricane Center. ▪ Areas to the south and east of Charlotte could see…

Updated 2 p.m. on Sept. 13 Universities around North Carolina have been making preparations ahead of Hurricane Florence, which has been upgraded to a Category 4 major hurricane with maximum possible wind speeds of up to 130 miles per hour.   As officials around the state have urged residents to be prepared, universities have done the same. East Carolina University canceled classes after noon on Tuesday and announced a mandatory evacuation notice for students. Residence…