A late-day line of storms put a serious scare into parts of central North Carolina’s Piedmont on Friday, as the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning that lit up alerts in Chatham and Randolph counties. Forecasters warned the fast-moving storms could pack damaging straight-line winds and penny-sized hail as they pushed northeast, and urged residents to hunker down and stay off the roads while the worst of the weather moved through.
At 5:54 p.m., the National Weather Service updated the warning, saying the storm was located about 9 miles east of the North Carolina Zoo and racing northeast at roughly 30 mph. The advisory called for wind gusts up to 60 mph and hail around 0.75 inches in diameter, and kept the warning in effect until 6:30 p.m., according to ABC11.
Where the warning applied
The alert specifically called out the North Carolina Zoo, Siler City, Goldston, Seagrove, Ramseur and nearby communities as locations that could take a hit as the storms tracked across the region, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Residents in and around those areas were told to be ready for quickly changing conditions and to move inside immediately if skies turned ominous.
NWS safety advice
The National Weather Service urged anyone in the warned area to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and to stay away from windows and plumbing. The agency notes that lightning strikes the United States about 25 million times a year and is responsible for roughly 20 deaths annually, and it recommends waiting a full 30 minutes after the last thunder or lightning before heading back outside, according to the National Weather Service.
Storm hazards and driving
Forecasters cautioned that the storm could damage roofs, siding and trees, and potentially bring down power lines, raising the odds of outages in communities in the path of the warning, according to the Raleigh News & Observer. Drivers were advised to slow down, avoid any flooded roadways and give utility and emergency crews plenty of space to clear fallen limbs and wires once the storm passed.
Officials encouraged residents to stay tuned to official updates from the National Weather Service and local broadcasters while the storms moved through the region. The NWS Raleigh briefing page posts current watches and warnings for central North Carolina, according to NWS Raleigh. Anyone who spots hail or wind damage is asked to report it to local authorities or directly to the National Weather Service so forecasters can confirm impacts and adjust warnings if needed.
