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A Flood Watch is in effect, and it will last throughout the day Thursday.
We're also keeping an eye on some dangerous winds that could move in. There was a tornado warning earlier this afternoon in Halifax County, Virginia. We can't rule out some isolated tornadoes in the next 24 hours.
Wednesday is once again a WRAL Weather Alert Day, but most of you won't see the rain until tonight. They will gradually shift southward into the rest of the area Wednesday night into Thursday.
"Rain should become more widespread overnight into Thursday," Meteorologist Kat Campbell says. We will need to watch the radar carefully for some severe storms, as well. Meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth says the weather center will stay staffed overnight into Thursday. "There's a chance that some of the storms could produce damaging winds. And I can't totally rule out a tornado threat," Wilmoth said.
Get the latest forecast on WRAL News+ and download the WRAL Weather app to get notifications.
- Wednesday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Hot with a high near 90. Most afternoon storms north of I-40. Increasing at night.
- Thursday (WRAL Weather Alert Day): Rounds of rain and storms. Highs in the upper 70s.
- Friday: Showers mainly south of I-40. Highs near 80 degrees..
"We could have some trouble during commute times," Campbell said. It looks like the morning commute on Thursday could see some widespread impacts.
We have the risk for flooding again Thursday. The area in red has the highest risk for flooding. It's best to give yourself some extra time to get to your destination Thursday.
The stormy weather trend looks to sick around for the next few days. And could impact your weekend plans.
In terms of the Guns N' Roses concert on Thursday, it looks like the widespread rain should be mainly south. But a few storms are possible. If you are headed to the Noah Kahan concert Saturday, it looks like the heaviest rain will be out of the area in time for the concert. But plan to take the poncho as we can't rule out some spotty showers.
One other thing to note is that it will be cooler. The last time we had three straight days at or below 80 degrees was in early May.
Bertha made landfall in St. Bernard Parish Wednesday at 3pm as a tropical storm. The storm will continue to impact the Gulf Coast states into Saturday.
Parts of the Triangle and eastern North Carolina have received some needed rain which has helped to ease the drought.
New drought data released on Thursday, July 16, shows the state's exceptional drought is down from 6% to 5%, and the extreme drought is down from 50% to 39%.
Still, WRAL meteorologists have said it could take a tropical system to get rid of our drought status, and most municipalities are asking residents to limit water consumption.
>> Drought Q&A, town-by-town water use restrictionsIt would take more than 15 inches of rain to catch up on the deficit, and much of central North Carolina is likely to remain in a drought through September.
- Thursday: Showers and storms likely. The rain is heavy at times. It's cooler with highs in the upper 70s.
- Friday: Scattered storms. Highs near 80.
- Saturday: Scattered storms. Highs near 80.
- Sunday: Partly cloudy and warm. Isolated storms. Highs in the upper 80s.
- Monday: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs in the lower 90s.
- Tuesday: Partly cloudy and hot. Highs in the low 90s.
- Wednesday: Partly cloudy with isolated storms. Highs in the low 90s.
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