Thunderstorms and heavy rain barreled across parts of North Carolina’s Piedmont on Tuesday, whipping up sudden gusts that sent tree limbs crashing onto roads and briefly cut visibility. The Raleigh office of the National Weather Service had already flagged the line of storms as capable of pushing strong winds and intense downpours through the region through the late afternoon.
According to NWS Raleigh, a Special Weather Statement went out at 4:38 p.m. Tuesday after Doppler radar showed clusters of storms capable of producing wind gusts in the 45–50 mph range. The advisory was posted through about 5:30 p.m., with forecasters warning that the gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around unsecured objects.
The statement covered Moore, Harnett, Scotland, Hoke, Cumberland and Sampson counties and put communities including Fayetteville, Laurinburg, Raeford, Fort Bragg and Maxton on notice, Charlotte Observer reporting shows. The alert also singled out Interstate 95 between mile markers 61 and 41, a stretch where heavy rain and strong wind can turn a routine drive into a white-knuckle trip in a hurry.
How to stay safe during the storm
NWS Raleigh urged anyone caught outside to head indoors and stay away from windows until storms move on, and advised drivers to slow down and leave extra room to stop. If you run into a flooded roadway or a downed power line, officials say to treat it as hazardous and call local emergency services instead of trying to clear or cross it yourself…