Parts of eastern NC under tornado watch as Triangle storms leave some flooding behind

Severe thunderstorm warnings expired across the Triangle on Thursday afternoon, but a tornado watch remained in place east of Interstate 95 until 9 p.m.

“Strong to severe” storms continued Thursday evening along I-95 with reports of large hail, the Raleigh office of the National Weather Service said.

The tornado watch calls for the risk of possible isolated tornadoes in eastern North Carolina in Edgecombe, Nash, Halifax, Wayne, Johnston and Wilson counties.

A tornado watch advises for preparation for severe weather as opposed to a tornado warning, which means a tornado is about to take place.

A severe thunderstorm warning previously issued by the NWS for areas near Wake, Durham, Franklin and other counties expired at 4:30 p.m.

But the heavy rains left behind flooding in Raleigh.

Images tweeted by Raleigh police showed severe flooding covering several lanes heading westbound on Interstate 440 near Glenwood Avenue. Police advised motorists to take alternate routes if possible.

Thunderstorms passed through the Triangle in the afternoon and a severe thunderstorm warning expired in Johnston and Harnett countie at 6 p.m., which warned of 60 mph winds and quarter-sized hail.

The thunderstorm warning will remain until 7 p.m. in eastern North Carolina in Wayne and Duplin counties, according to the NWS. A special weather statement warned of 40 mph winds and penny-sized hail.

A special weather statement was also issued by the NWS for Rocky Mount and Wilson, alerting of 60 mph winds and smaller hail.

Thursday’s forecast follows severe weather warnings in the last two weeks. A tornado touched down in southeast Durham last week, causing damage to trees and an office property in Research Triangle Park.

Temperatures in the region remained in the 70s, but once the cold front moves through, those temperatures will drop to the 50s by Thursday evening, according to ABC 11, The News & Observer’s newsgathering partner.

This story was originally published April 7, 2022 at 6:29 PM.

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra

The News & Observer

(919) 297-8162

Aaron Sánchez-Guerra is a breaking news reporter for The News & Observer and previously covered business and real estate for the paper. His background includes reporting for WLRN Public Media in Miami and as a freelance journalist in Raleigh and Charlotte covering Latino communities. He is a graduate of North Carolina State University, a native Spanish speaker and was born in Mexico. You can follow his work on Twitter at @aaronsguerra.