WRAL WeatherCenter Coverage

13 years ago today: 30 tornadoes ripped through NC, killing four children & 20 others

Thirteen years ago, on April 16, 2011, 30 tornadoes touched down in North Carolina for the greatest one-day total on record for the state.

WRAL Severe Weather Center

Ask the meteorologist: Can you have a rainbow without rain?🌈

The presence of atmospheric conditions devoid of recent rain but with vibrant colors and an arch may explain the occurrence of a rainbow-like phenomenon.

WRAL staff

The 1993 storm of the century brought 50 inches of snow, 93 mph winds to NC

The storm impacted North Carolina on March 13 after a low formed in the Gulf of Mexico on March 12. It raced to the northeast and brought wind, snow and even storm surge to our state.

WRAL staff

Ask the meteorologist: How do clouds make rain?

Tiny cloud droplets typically stay suspended in the air because they fall at a speed equal to or lower than the rising air.

Ask the meteorologist: How does a double rainbow form?

A double rainbow occurs when sunlight is both internally and externally reflected within raindrops in the atmosphere.

Ask the meteorologist: What causes an arctic white rainbow?

A fogbow occurs when sunlight interacts with tiny water droplets in the air, which produces a bow-like arc that is usually white or pale.

Ask the meteorologist: What is dual pole radar?

"Dual pol," short for dual polarization, describes the WRAL Dual Doppler radar, which "sees" in two dimensions, allowing us to distinguish between types of precipitation in the air.

Ask the meteorologist: How do clouds form and create snow?

Most clouds are formed by cooling that occurs due to expansion of air that is lifted to a higher altitude having lower pressure.

Ask the meteorologist: What's the difference between "mostly cloudy" and "partly sunny" or "partly cloudy" and "mostly sunny?"

Partly cloudy and partly sunny are pretty much the same thing, according to the National Weather Service.

Ask the meteorologist: What exactly is the northern lights effect?

The term "Northern Lights" commonly refers to the natural phenomenon known as the Aurora Borealis.

Ask the meteorologist: Why do I see different colors of lightning?

The color of lightning is influenced by several factors, including the composition of the atmosphere and the specific gases and particles present.

Ask the meteorologist: After a rainstorm the clouds go away. Where do they go?

Following a rainstorm, clouds dissipate as the water droplets that formed them either evaporate or fall as precipitation, returning to the Earth's surface.

WRAL Weather Patio showcases real-time conditions, Certified Accurate forecasts in outdoor setting

WRAL has a new way to look at the weather, the ability to forecast live in the elements, on the WRAL Weather Patio.

2023-24 NC snow outlook: A colder winter and good news for snow lovers

The average winter snowfall at Raleigh-Durham International Airport is 5.2 inches. We're expecting to get more this year.

WRAL Severe Weather Center

What is North Carolina's year-round climate like? Think mild and beautiful

North Carolina's climate is intricate and beautiful no matter what time of year it is. Here's everything you need to know about the climate and weather in NC.

Eric Openshaw, WRAL contributor

Schools closed for weather: How do NC districts make the decision?

WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell asked districts their guidelines for canceling school in severe weather and found it varies from county to county.

Kat Campbell, WRAL meteorologist

Understanding the WRAL Weather Tower Light

By glancing at the color of the WRAL Weather Tower Light, you can quickly understand what's happening with the weather.

EF3 tornado latest part of memorable, active summer for weather in North Carolina

Veteran WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner explained some of the complexities of forecasting the tornado and how the event went from a ho-hum thunderstorm warning to a historic event for eastern North Carolina.

Ryan Bisesi, WRAL multiplatform producer and Elizabeth Gardner, WRAL meteorologist

WRAL Weather lesson: Many models for tracking storms look like spaghetti, combine to improve forecast

When looking at developing systems, one of the most important pieces of technology that we have are the spaghetti model plots. Aptly named for their unique pasta-like appearance, these charts depict many different outcomes or simulations for a given storm. Billions of computer calculations are run with different potential atmospheric conditions (i.e., temperature, cloud cover, winds, etc.). The result is shown to be the individual strand, often represented by separate colors. There are many potential outcomes, and no model is 100% accurate.

Anthony Baglione, WRAL meteorologist

Climate change is moving hurricane risks farther inland

As hurricane season approaches, researchers warn the risk of flooding and severe weather are moving farther inland.

Liz McLaughlin, WRAL Climate Change Reporter

Step inside a virtual storm to see how central NC hurricane risks are changing

Atlantic hurricane season starts on June 1, but you don't have to be on the coast to be in the path of dangerous winds and flooding.

Use widgets to show WRAL Weather on your home screen

The WRAL Weather app now has widget support, for your forecast at a glance.

The best winter weather prediction for NC you'll see all year

Temperatures, rainfall, snow totals - WRAL meteorologists are using 52 years of winter weather data to best predict what kind of winter we can expect this year. On WRAL at 6, see why the numbers show we can't rule out 20-plus inches of snow.

Why tropical systems are dumping more rain than ever before

In modern times, the average global temperature has climbed 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. A warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, and a 1.8-degree temperature increase translates to about 7% more water vapor. As a result, tropical systems are dumping more and more rain.

Happy meteorological spring! Here's the updated spring 2022 forecast.

Happy first day of March and start to meteorological spring. As meteorologists, we break down the four seasons into three even months to make for easier record-keeping.

Kat Campbell, WRAL meteorologist