Raleigh North Carolina News

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer Raleigh, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes announced single-game playoff tickets will go on sale this week. Tickets for the general public go on sale at noon ET Thursday, April 10. Season-ticket holders will have the opportunity to buy playoff tickets first on Wednesday, April 9. People can get text updates about playoff tickets by texting “PLAYOFFS25” to 919-705-0896. It’s unclear which team the Canes will match up against…

Less than 10 days into April, the United States has seen more than 100 reported tornadoes. Since I started this job in 2014, I’ve oftentimes visited schools, rotary clubs, assisted living centers, etc. One of the questions I get most often is either a) “how do tornadoes form?” or b) “why do tornadoes target certain parts of the country?” Tornadoes in NC vs. other states As many of you know, we’re not immune to tornadoes….

Non-profit Valley Strong Disaster Relief (VSDR) is shifting its focus toward clean up and repair in western North Carolina after closing their supply distribution site in March. Silverados, a dive bar and former music venue based in Black Mountain, provided aid to local communities for over five months following the effects of Hurricane Helene Co-founder of VSDR Ian Monley was initially out of town at an antique festival when Helene reached the area. “At first,…

By 2050, more than 2.5 million Americans could be living in areas at risk of a severe coastal flood, including tens of thousands along North Carolina’s coastline, according to a new analysis released Wednesday by Climate Central. The nonprofit climate research group used federal elevation and population data to map the land, homes and people that could be within reach of a 100-year coastal flood event, defined as a flood with a 1% chance of…

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer Raleigh, N.C. — The Carolina Hurricanes announced single-game playoff tickets will go on sale next week. Tickets for the general public go on sale at noon ET Thursday, April 10. Season-ticket holders will have the opportunity to buy playoff tickets first on Wednesday, April 9. People can get text updates about playoff tickets by texting “PLAYOFFS25” to 919-705-0896. It’s unclear which team the Canes will match up against…

Colorado State University (CSU) is calling for an above-normal level of activity for the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. The forecast is based on warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the eastern and central Atlantic and other ocean conditions. 2025 hurricane season forecast (Colorado State University) Forecast parameters Forecast for 2025 Average for 1991-2020 Named storms 17 14.4 Named storm days 85 69.4 Hurricanes 9 7.2 Hurricane days 35 27 Major hurricanes 4 3.2 Major hurricane days 9…

By Scott Mason, WRAL reporter From sharpening skates and fixing steel to painting the goaltenders’ facemasks, 46-year-old Jorge Alves is with the Carolina Hurricanes to ensure they get what they need on a typical day at Lenovo Center. “The air-brushing is actually the easiest part,” Alves said. Alves, the son of Portuguese immigrants, grew up playing hockey in Massachusetts. However, a higher calling brought him to North Carolina, where he served in the Marine Corps…

The North Carolina Forest Service on Wednesday lifted a burn ban for all counties as wildfire conditions improve in the western portion of the state. The ban was lifted on all open burning effective 8 a.m. on April 2. The ban went into effect on March 21. Steve Troxler, the state’s agriculture commissioner, credits the recent rain for improving conditions. As of 4 p.m. Tuesday, WCNC Charlotte reports the Black Cove Complex fire in Polk County was 97%…

The risks from continued wildfires that have already burned thousands of acres in western North Carolina, forcing mandatory evacuations in some counties, are “expected to get worse, not better” as the year goes on, a top state official said Tuesday. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler oversees the state’s forestry service that’s coordinating the wildfire response. He said Hurricane Helene is to blame for the worse-than-normal fires in the western part of the state, since there are…

Months ago, a washed-out bridge damaged during Hurricane Helene’s flooding temporarily blocked Matthew Rogers from returning to his beloved North Carolina cabin. The lakeside property in Flat Rock that has been in his family for around 40 years – and has come to represent healing and hope, Rogers says – became a casualty of the recent wildfires in the state. After seeing the home he affectionately named the Cabin of Hope now smoldered to the…

Hendersonville, North Carolina (CNN) — Months ago, a washed-out bridge damaged during Hurricane Helene’s flooding temporarily blocked Matthew Rogers from returning to his beloved North Carolina cabin. The lakeside property in Flat Rock that has been in his family for around 40 years – and has come to represent healing and hope, Rogers says – became a casualty of the recent wildfires in the state. After seeing the home he affectionately named the Cabin of…

A new state-led project aims to keep roads dry and hospital access open during storms in a flood-prone part of Goldsboro. State officials broke ground Friday on a natural infrastructure pilot project behind Wayne Community College, where frequent flooding has been known to cut off access to nearby Wayne Memorial Hospital. The site will be transformed into a stormwater wetland and detention basin, designed to collect and slowly release rainwater before it overwhelms roads and…

Nearly six months after Hurricane Helene, some western North Carolina communities are still struggling to get clean water. In Ashe County, 100 miles from Asheville, Michelle Denny is struggling to repair her family home that’s been passed down through generations. Denny said Sept. 27, 2024, the day Helene destroyed her grandmother’s Fleetwood home, feels like yesterday. She has lived there her entire life.  “They had to come around here and come to the front door by boat,” Denny said, describing the…

North Carolina reached a major milestone in coastal resilience Friday, celebrating the installation of its 15,000th fortified roof—an upgrade designed to protect homes from hurricane-force winds and heavy rain. The North Carolina Insurance Underwriting Association (NCIUA) hosted a luncheon Friday to mark the achievement. NCIUA has invested more than $100 million into programs that help coastal homeowners upgrade to the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety’s (IBHS) FORTIFIED Roof standard. “The best defense against storms is…

Two EF-1 tornadoes and a waterspout were confirmed in North Carolina following severe weather that hit the state late Sunday. Eight people were injured after a confirmed tornado destroyed multiple homes in Perquimans County early Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Perquimans County is located in the northeast portion of North Carolina, close to Edenton. WITN reports three trailers at Longview Estates in Woodville were destroyed and several others damaged by the EF-1…