The Raleigh-Durham region entered Tuesday under a slight severe-weather risk for afternoon and evening storms after weekend damage and outages in parts of the Triangle. Forecasters placed central North Carolina in a level-two-of-five slight risk for severe storms Tuesday afternoon and evening.
Damaging straight-line winds were identified as the primary hazard, with hail and an isolated tornado also possible in stronger cells. Temperatures were forecast to reach the low 90s before storms developed, while additional cloud cover could limit instability and reduce the severity of some storms.
The weather system was expected to move through by Tuesday night, with clearer conditions forecast for Wednesday. The outlook followed Monday cleanup from storm damage that included a downed tree on Lake Dam Road and power interruptions in Chapel Hill and Raleigh.
WRAL reported that the prior outages and road obstruction were cleared or restored by Monday morning, making the Tuesday forecast a new risk rather than an unresolved description of the earlier event.
A slight-risk area indicates organized severe storms are possible within the outlook zone but does not mean every location will experience damaging weather. Warnings are issued at shorter notice than outlooks and identify storms detected by radar, observed by spotters or expected to threaten a defined path.
Thunderstorm intensity depends on instability, moisture, wind shear and storm timing, so morning cloud cover can change the eventual local outcome. As of the edition cutoff, The exact storm tracks, timing and severity could not be determined before development. The next scheduled factual records include National Weather Service watches and warnings during the afternoon and local outage, road-closure and damage reports after the line passes.