Tornado warnings were in effect Sunday for Wake, Chatham and Durham counties as a tornado in North Carolina was reported in New Hill near Jordan Lake. Aimee Wilmoth told people in western Wake County to get into a safe spot while the strongest storm threat was expected through the afternoon.
The warning covering Wake, Chatham and Durham counties was active at 12:15 p.m. and set to expire at 12:45 p.m. A tornado watch remained in effect until 5 p.m. for much of the area, including the Triangle, as WRAL meteorologists said the best chance of storms would run from about noon to 6 p.m.
Wake, Chatham and Durham
Wilmoth said, “If you're anywhere in western Wake County, if you're in Apex or west of Morrisville, get prepared to get into your safe spot,” as the warning covered residents in those parts of Wake County and extended into Chatham and Durham counties. Emergency crews in North Carolina were preparing for impacts across the state on Sunday while the same system had already been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone before its remnants reached North Carolina.
Tornado warnings had already expired in Moore and Chatham counties by 11:30 a.m., but the threat was still moving through central North Carolina when the report came in from New Hill near the Chatham and Wake County line by Pead Ridge Road and Beaver Creek Road. The overlap of a live warning and a tornado report left little margin for people still in the path of the storms.
NC Emergency Management
NC Emergency Management said it was seeing flash flood warnings, advisories and flood siren activation in the Chimney Rock area as of 10:50 p.m. Saturday. It told western North Carolina residents to remain weather aware over the next several hours, enable emergency alerts on their cell phones, sign up for local alerts if they had not done so, and have a plan to move to higher ground if they live in a flood-prone area.
Justin Graney said, “Our urban search and rescue teams have been placed on a state mission order in key locations Saturday, just to make sure they're ready for a quick response,” as the state prepared for both flood and storm impacts. The warning picture was complicated further by damage reports from other states, where four people died, including two in Florida and two in Alabama.
El Tapatio
Juan Aguilar said he was there when the tornado hit El Tapatio during the earlier Helene storm, and that “there were about 50 people inside at the time and no one was hurt.” He also said, “I pray no tornado comes from Isaias,” as the restaurant faced another round of severe weather threats after reopening about a month earlier following a two-year-long recovery process.
Whether the reported tornado in New Hill caused any damage, injuries or confirmed touchdown details was not answered in the reports available Sunday, but the immediate concern remained the active warning window through early afternoon. People in Wake, Chatham and Durham counties had to stay ready for a fast change in conditions before the 12:45 p.m. expiration.
