Gusty winds, rain move through Triangle

Raleigh, N.C. — A band of showers with gusty winds moved west to east through the Triangle Wednesday afternoon.

“There is not any cloud-to-ground lightning being reported. It is a very narrow band of heavy rain with gusty winds,” WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said.

The storm was moving southeast at about 55 mph, Fishel said. The rain passed through the Raleigh area and most of the Triangle by 5:15 p.m.

"The rain is part of a cold front that is moving into the area. The front will transform our weather from windy and warm to cooler and sunny on Thursday," WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said.

Some WRAL viewers reported trees down due to high winds.

Straight-line winds ripped the roof off the Sunday school building of Franklinton Baptist Church, 102 W Mason St. The damage was estimated at more than $100,000.

A tree fell onto a house on Exeter Circle, off Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, and a downed tree ripped apart a WRAL viewer's home in Chapel Hill. Another fallen tree totaled a car in a neighborhood off Ridge Road in Raleigh.

Temperatures will remain in the mid to upper 60s Wednesday evening, with winds between 15 and 25 mph. High temperatures will drop Thursday to the low 50s.