RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) -- Wednesday, March 5 is a CBS 17 Storm Team Alert Day as severe storms are expected to develop and impact central North Carolina.
The Storm Prediction Center has put all of our region in an Enhanced Risk, or level 3 out of 5 for severe weather. The last time part of central North Carolina was in an Enhanced Risk was September 27, 2024 as the remnants of Hurricane Helene moved through North Carolina. With that Enhanced Risk two tornadoes touched down in our region: one in Sampson County, and the EF3 that hit Rocky Mount. We typically average at least one Enhanced Risk per year in central North Carolina.
The main threats for with this Enhanced Risk are damaging wind gusts, hail and isolated tornadoes.
The risk comes as a strong cold front will move across central North Carolina during the day Wednesday, creating a line of storms that is expected to push through our region between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Ahead of that front, temperatures will be warmer than average in the upper 60s and low 70s with moisture streaming in from the Gulf and Atlantic.
It will also be a windy day with sustained winds up to 30 miles per hour. The warm, muggy and windy conditions will all help fuel our chance for storms as the cold front arrives by late morning.
This is a system the Storm Prediction Center has been watching for more than a week. North Carolina, and much of the southeast United States, were outlined a week in advance for this severe weather threat.
When an area is outlined that early, it means forecasters are expecting at least a 15% probability for severe thunderstorms within 25 miles of a location in that outlined area.
All this to say, this severe weather threat has been in the forecast models for the past week, and now that it looks to impact central North Carolina, stay with CBS17 as the forecast develops.
