Wet, Windy Weather Leads To Power Outages, Flood Threats

Despite missing the effects of Hurricane Joaquin, rain Friday night and Saturday morning made for a soggy day and some damage around the region.

For many residents, that meant power outages as the wind uprooted trees from the waterlogged ground. As of 4:00 p.m. Saturday, more than 800 Duke Energy customers were without power in Greensboro, with a few dozen others still without service elsewhere in the Triad.

At a press conference Saturday, Gov. Pat McCrory said the weekend weather has been a mixture of good news and bad.

“Our goal is to constantly be over-prepared and under-whelmed,” McCrory said. “And frankly…with the hurricane, we're under-whelmed, and that's good news for North Carolina.”

The bad news: there's more rain on the way. The forecast calls for precipitation to start Saturday night and stick around into Sunday morning, with another chance for rain Sunday night across the Piedmont. A wind advisory remains in effect until Monday.

That means the threat of localized flooding and power outages should continue throughout the weekend. According to the National Weather Service's Raleigh office, many of the region's rivers are likely to reach minor flood stage, and individual road flooding is still possible.

Statewide, McCrory says the greatest threat now is in the southern portions of the state, some of which are dealing with significant flooding. He's also concerned about the potential for millions of dollars in crop losses from water damage to fields or the delay the rains have caused the harvest.

North Carolina Public Safety Secretary Frank Perry reminded residents the threat from flooding throughout the weekend is real.

“Whether you are in your home, driving or on foot, please remember flooding is dangerous and exercise extreme caution,” Perry said. “Dedicated public officials remain mobilized across the state and are ready to respond where needed.”

In addition to NC Department of Transportation and other emergency workers, the state activated about 60 National Guard soldiers this morning to help with storm recovery.

State officials continue to remind residents not to attempt to drive or walk through flooded roadways, as only a few inches of water can carry a person or vehicle away.

They're also encouraging people to refer to ReadyNC.org and the ReadyNC mobile app for current information on emergency conditions.