Storms toss trees, hurl hail, tangle traffic
Clouds swirled and hail pounded communities across central and eastern North Carolina Friday afternoon as a cold front and warm front clashed creating a dangerous weather situation.
Posted — UpdatedFriday's weather was unusual in that storms were scattered across the state instead of progressing in a solid line, according to WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel.
"Any of these storms are candidates to, at the very least, become severe and produce large hail if not produce tornadic activity," he said.
A warm, humid day saw temperatures build through midday into the 80s before storms began popping up.
At 1 p.m., the National Weather Service posted a tornado watch that covered the eastern half of the state. Those conditions, favorable for a tornado to form, continued until just after 8 p.m. The watch also signaled the severe storms to come.
Those storms marched north and east, and sparked a round of tornado warnings in the northeast quadrant of the state just after 4 p.m. Trained weather spotters reported a funnel cloud and Ping-Pong-ball-sized hail in Wayne County.
East Carolina University, the City of Greenville and surrounding Pitt County also saw a tornado warning, and the campus urged students to take shelter just before 5 p.m.
As the storms rocked areas to the north, Fayetteville and Cumberland County skies cleared in time for the gates to open at the annual Fayetteville Dogwood Festival.
A second round of storms marched across the Triangle as commuters hit the road, creating delays on busy Friday afternoon roads. "It's really slow going because we have a lot of rain in spots," said WRAL meteorologist Nate Johnson.
Traffic lights in Raleigh were out at several major intersections, including Atlantic Avenue and Six Forks Road, the Wake Forest interchange with Interstate 440 and Old Wake Forest and Falls of Neuse roads.
By dusk, the skies were clearing from west to east, and a pleasant weekend was expected to follow.
Saturday and Sunday promise highs in the upper 70s to near 80 degrees, mild evenings and overnight lows hovering in the mid-50s and clear or mostly clear, sunny skies.
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