Raleigh, NC – Residents across central North Carolina could see strong thunderstorms develop within hours, bringing the risk of damaging wind gusts, isolated tornadoes, and hail through the overnight hours.
According to the National Weather Service in Raleigh, scattered storms may develop beginning Sunday afternoon and continue into early Monday morning, impacting communities including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Rocky Mount, and Goldsboro.
Forecasters say the overall severe threat remains relatively low, but a few storms could become strong enough to produce damaging wind gusts and brief tornadoes. The Storm Prediction Center places much of central North Carolina under a Level 1 (Marginal) severe weather risk, meaning isolated severe storms are possible.
The probability outlook shows a 2–4% chance of tornadoes, with the possibility that a few could reach EF2 strength in isolated cases. There is also a 5–14% chance of damaging straight-line winds, along with a 5–14% risk of hail, especially across portions of the southern Coastal Plain.
Storms may develop during the afternoon but could continue overnight into early Monday, which increases the importance of receiving warnings while sleeping.
Officials urge residents to enable emergency alerts on phones, keep weather radios nearby, and have multiple ways to receive warnings as storms move across the region tonight.
