Raleigh North Carolina News

It’s that time of year again! The WRAL Severe Weather team is ready to unveil our winter weather predictions. This year, we analyzed four key factors: La Niña, accumulated cyclone energy or ACE, Siberian snow cover and climate trends. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there’s a 60% chance that a La Niña will develop later this month. In La Niña years, storm tracks stay north of our region and keep the…

Nearly two months after Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, the region is still hurting with a long road to recovery. While efforts to rebuild are underway, many local businesses and their employees continue to face significant challenges. Ed Haag, a restaurant worker in the area, said the economic strain has been felt deeply by both workers and residents. “I see a lot of people who are scared, and there’s a bit of desperation,”…

Nearly three months after Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, the region is still hurting with a long road to recovery. While efforts to rebuild are underway, many local businesses and their employees continue to face significant challenges. Ed Haag, a restaurant worker in the area, said the economic strain has been felt deeply by both workers and residents. “I see a lot of people who are scared, and there’s a bit of desperation,”…

By Curt Anderson, Associated Press ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays will play their 2025 home games at the New York Yankees’ nearby spring training ballpark amid uncertainty about the future of hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, Rays executives told The Associated Press. Stuart Sternberg, the Rays’ principal owner, said in an interview that Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is the best fit for the team and its fanbase. At about 11,000 seats, it’s also…

By MATTHEW COLES, Associated Press SALT LAKE CITY — SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Nick Bjugstad scored his second goal of the game to cap the Utah Hockey Club’s three-goal flurry in a 2 1/2-minute span of the third period in a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Wednesday night. Jack McBain and Mikhail Sergachev also scored for Utah, which won at home after losing three of four on the road. Michael Kesselring had…

ERWIN, Tenn. (Gray News) – A body that was buried in North Carolina was washed into Tennessee due to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in September, according to Erwin Police Chief Regan Tilson. Officials said the body was buried in Whitson Cemetery in Yancey County in 2006. The flood waters washed the body to Unicoi County. Details about the identification of the body were not released. Helene brought widespread devastation to western North Carolina, causing…

We’re learning more about Helene’s historic impact about seven weeks after it blew through North Carolina. A recent report from the North Carolina Forest Service says that 27% of the affected forestland had at least some tree damage. In this report, they say this may be the most damaging wind event since Hurricane Fran in 1996 and Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Helene’s wind damage according to the North Carolina Forest Service The North Carolina State…

Visitors returned to the Biltmore Estate in Asheville Saturday after a 36-day closure due to flooding caused by Hurricane Helene. Crews worked around the clock to repair and prepare the estate in time for the holiday season, allowing the historic site to reopen safely. “We have the best team in the world that’s been working tirelessly to clean up the estate and get us ready to reopen for the holidays,” said Chase Pickering, a fifth-generation…

The neighborhood known as Beacon Village in Swannanoa, North Carolina, is continuing to sort through the damage from Hurricane Helene. The western North Carolina neighborhood originally built in the 1920s is comprised of old mill houses. The neighborhood was hit hard when water from the Swannanoa River collided with floodwaters coming down from the mountains. “It was insane,” said volunteer Karl Loftus, who has spent five weeks on the ground helping. “[It’s] the worst thing…

By WRAL Staff The Carolina Hurricanes Foundation has stepped up to support the Asheville Hockey League in the wake of Hurricane Helene. The Foundation has announced a $50,000 donation to help rebuild the organization’s outdoor hockey rink, which was destroyed by the storm. “We were heartbroken to hear about the devastation to the Asheville Hockey League’s rink,” said Doug Warf, President of the Carolina Hurricanes. “This rink is a vital part of the community, providing…

Hurricane Helen’s impact has been widespread, affecting many facets of life, including domestic violence victims. We’ve all seen the physical devastation left behind by Hurricane Helene. Damaged roads, destroyed bridges and homes lost. Yet there are hidden issues that often go unnoticed. WRAL News asked Carrie Ann Fisher, the executive director of the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence: Why do we typically see an increase in domestic violence incidents following a disaster?” Fisher responds…

Thousands met at the Bank of America Stadium on Saturday for the Concert for Carolina. The country music event was put on to raise money and awareness for those impacted in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.   “This is great because they need even more support and it’s going to go on for a long time,” one Charlotte resident said. The concert saw artists like Luke Combs, Scotty McCreery and Chase Rice take the stage…

By ZACH MARTIN, Associated Press SEATTLE — SEATTLE (AP) — Seth Jarvis had a goal and an assist, and the Carolina Hurricanes beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Saturday night for their third consecutive win. Andrei Svechnikov, Dmitry Orlov and Jack Drury also scored for Carolina, which won for the fifth time in six games overall. Frederik Anderson made 18 saves. Jarvis gave the Hurricanes a 3-1 lead with 4:22 left, and Orlov closed it…

Though he grew up in Virginia and now lives in Tennessee, Ketch Secor says his heart is in North Carolina. “I look to those mountains for my inspiration and my heart really,” the  founder and frontman of Old Crow Medicine Show told WRAL Thursday “If your heart is really for the western mountains in North Carolina, it’s broken now.” Old Crow Medicine Show started playing together more than 25 years ago and got it’s first break on the…

Losing a home in a natural disaster once is traumatizing enough. Twice is something Josie Borg tells WRAL she’d worried she and her family may not make it through. “Last time we were really surprised what 8 inches can do to your house and this time it’s eight feet of water,” said Borg. “It’s just a whole different scenario.” Borg is in her third trimester, carrying her fourth child. She and her family now have…