As Hurricane Helene continued to depress and move across the southeast on Friday, the Orange and Chatham County communities experienced inclement weather from the storm system — with the National Weather Service issuing several tornado warnings in the morning and a flood warning in the evening.
A tornado watch was issued for most of central and eastern North Carolina, as well as part of South Carolina and Virginia, at 8 a.m. and a few hours later, multiple tornado warnings got sent out thanks to radar-indicated, isolated spots of tornadoes caused by a weather from a band of Helene.
That included several warnings in Chatham County, which were issued west to east from 9:50 a.m. through 11 a.m. Southern Orange County, including Chapel Hill and Carrboro, was issued tornado warnings at 10:36 a.m. and 11:04 a.m.
The tornado watch for central North Carolina is in place through 6 p.m. on Friday.
Additionally, Orange and Chatham counties were under a flash flood warning for several hours after intense rainfall Friday morning. The NWS alert for flooding expired at 3 p.m. — but a flood warning is in effect until 7 p.m., with local and state emergency entities still warn North Carolinians against driving through any flood waters.
A tornado watch has been issued for parts of North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia until 6 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/veJEKuVVHQ
— NWS Tornado (@NWStornado) September 27, 2024
A tornado watch comes typically before a tornado warning, which is when a tornado is actually detected and threatening an area. In the event of a tornado warning, the National Weather Service and local governments encourage people to seek shelter low to the ground, underground, or in interior rooms without windows.
Power Outages
Because of the strong winds and heavy rain on Friday, much of North Carolina is experiencing power outages. Duke Energy’s Outage Map tool said, as of 3 p.m., there were about 2,200 Orange County customers without power — most of whom were in the Chapel Hill neighborhoods around Eastwood Lake. Chatham County reported 531 customers without power, which represented improvement from the peak of thousands of customers with outages earlier in the day.
If you lose power, emergency officials urge people to contact Duke Energy and not to call 911, in order to keep the phone lines open for people experiencing danger. Outages or damaged equipment can be reported online here or by calling 800-769-3766.
The Duke Energy Outage Map webpage can be found here.
School Closures
Meanwhile, both the Orange County and Chatham County schools systems told their students and educators to stay home on Friday amid the storms caused by Hurricane Helene.
Shortly before 5 p.m. on Thursday, Orange County Schools sent out an alert saying the outlook for Friday has the potential for “dangerous weather” and resulting hazards like flash flooding, power outages and property damage. All sites and facilities will be closed as a result.
“Hurricane-related weather conditions can be unpredictable and change quickly,” read the message to families. “Please take all necessary precautions for the safety of your loved ones and your neighbors.”
Similarly, Chatham County Schools said it would be closed on Friday and return to normal operations on Monday, asking its families and staff to be safe during the potential for “high winds, fallen trees, and outages.” Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools had already planned for Friday to be a teacher workday and no classes to be held. The district asked its teachers to work remotely and said its campuses would be closed, meaning all scheduled CHCCS athletics and other student activities will be postponed to a later date.
Storm and Safety Details
Hurricane Helene made landfall on Friday as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday night in the Big Bend of Florida. Weather experts describe the storm-surge as “catastrophic” and the rains as causing life-threatening flooding in Georgia, South Carolina, and parts of western North Carolina. Orange County, Chatham County, and the rest of the Triangle are less in the storm’s direct projected path, but bands of the storm are forecasted to continue affecting the region through Friday. Ongoing national coverage of Hurricane Helene by the Associated Press can be found here.
Thursday #ncwx Weather Update#Helene is forecast to continue to strengthen into a major hurricane before making landfall. Helene is expected to maintain hurricane strength into GA overnight but will continue to weaken before making its closest approach to NC Friday afternoon. pic.twitter.com/UI2qSD9HIO
— NC Emergency Management (@NCEmergency) September 26, 2024
Orange County’s Emergency Management recommends making a plan on what to do in the event of a weather-related emergency and having a checklist of items for emergency scenarios. Find more resources from the county government here.
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