Warnings for Durham and Orange counties expired on Thursday evening as violent storms quickly left the area. The last Tornado warnings for Halifax County and Warren County expired shortly after 8 p.m.
However, numerous counties, including Wake, Cumberland, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Harnett, Hoke, Johnston, Nash, Vance, and Warren, remain under Tornado Watch until 9 p.m.
Cumberland and Harnett counties were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 8:15 p.m. when the system moved east.
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As of 7.30pm, less than 200 power cuts had been reported in the Triangle. Just west of the Triangle – in the eastern Greensboro-Burlington area, 2,646 power cuts were reported.
Much of the risk of severe weather in central North Carolina was reduced Thursday morning, but severe weather continued to sweep the region with several reports of tree fallen and other weather-related problems.
“Just because you see it’s downgraded, you go, ‘Ah, that’s good.’ It’s okay; it means less of a chance, but it still means that today there is a pretty good chance of seeing severe weather across the region … just know that the risk of damaging winds really hasn’t decreased that much , “ABC11 Meteorologist Don” Big Weather, “Schwenneker said.
Chief Meteorologist Chris Hohmann said all threats, including tornado, wind and hail (to a lesser extent) should be taken seriously, even though we are no longer at the “moderate risk”.
Meanwhile, Governor Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency on Thursday afternoon ahead of expected statewide storms.
“This state of emergency allows trucks and equipment to be moved to respond to emergencies, quickly recover power outages and clear debris after the storm has passed,” Cooper said.
LIVE RADAR: Storms on their way to North Carolina
Timeline
Hohmann said the storms should be out of ABC11’s viewing area by 10 p.m.
The main line of the storms moved through the region between 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM
WATCH: Wind, tornadoes, hail? Breakdown of what to expect in today’s storms
“Even though there is less chance of a tornado, if we see a tornado, there is potential that it could be a pretty strong one,” Big Weather said.
This same system is the one that has spawned an estimated 25 tornadoes from Oklahoma to Alabama. Fortunately, there are no reported deaths from the storm at this time.
Once this weather event is over, the rain could linger until Friday. It will be windy and colder with temperatures in the 1940’s. There is a chance of a rain / snow mixture near the Virginia border late in the morning, but no accumulation is expected.
Saturday and Sunday will see temperatures in the 50s, with more sun on Saturday and more heat on Sunday.
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