The start of Friday will remain quiet with bright sunny skies and feels like temps near 102°. By Friday evening, though, the atmosphere starts to get a little more unsettled. A few scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected, with the best opportunity after the evening commute. These storms will be the first sign of the bigger weather change headed our way this weekend.
Dorian will likely become a major hurricane sometime this week.
Dorian became a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday as it struck the U.S. Virgin Islands, with forecasters saying it could grow to Category 3 status as it nears the U.S. mainland as early as the weekend.
Tropical Storm Dorian threatened Puerto Rico with a direct hit at near-hurricane force on Wednesday and forecasters said it could strengthen further as it approaches the U.S. mainland.
Thousands of people are without power after strong storms moved across the Iredell and Catawba County regions Wednesday evening.
The newly formed system is not a threat to land.
NOAA forecasters monitoring oceanic and atmospheric patterns say conditions are now more favorable for above-normal hurricane activity since El Nino has now ended.
The heating and air conditioning in Carrie Johnson’s home — damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 — still wasn’t fixed when Hurricane Florence flooded her house last September. Now, her home of over 50 years is gutted, the flooring and walls nothing more than bare wooden beams smelling faintly of river water.
Homeowners sandbagged their doors and tourists trying to get out of town jammed the airport Friday as Tropical Storm Barry began rolling in with the potential for an epic drenching that could prove whether New Orleans and the rest of Louisiana learned the lessons of Hurricane Katrina over a decade ago.
