Flash flood warnings expired across our area early Thursday morning, but central North Carolina is bracing for another round of rain Thursday evening, prompting a WRAL Weather Alert Day.
Heavy rain fell overnight in Raleigh and Durham. There was minor flooding and several road closures in Durham and ponding on roads, including on Western Boulevard and Blue Ridge Road in Raleigh, but the flooding was not comparable to Sunday night’s storms, which caused water rescues and several deaths.
A flood watch remains in effect, with another round of storms possible Thursday evening by 7 p.m. or 8 p.m.
Few trees down in the Triangle
While the flooding impacts were not substantial, several large trees fell overnight, including at Hope Valley Elementary School in Durham and in Raleigh at Barksdale Drive and Raleigh Boulevard.
Heavy rain, water rescues Wednesday night
As heavy rain fell Wednesday night in Durham, the Durham Fire Department said on Facebook that they rescued three people and a dog stranded on Falls Lake after they were overrun by the storm. Firefighters said the three people and dog were safely brought to shore.
“They were able to make it to an island on the lake, where they used a flashlight to signal our rescue crews once we arrived,” the fire department said on Facebook.
The Apex Fire Department rescued five people from a boat on Harris Lake as intense rain fell Wednesday night. Firefighters told WRAL News that no one was hurt and all the people in the boat are on dry land now.
Earlier in the evening, a semi-truck appeared to be trapped in water on Durham Chapel Hill Road. The driver was rescued from the truck and is expected to be OK.
Parts of Durham saw up to 2 inches of rain. According to Duke Energy, at one point more than 2,600 customers were without power in Durham.
Photo courtesy of Neil Mitchell.
The ponding on roads led police in Durham to close several roads Wednesday night, including Anderson Road at Chapel Hill Road, Garrett Road at Durham Chapel Hill Boulevard, the 4200 Block of University Drive, N. Duke Street at W. Morgan Street and Hunt Street at Foster Street.