Hurricane Zeta brought heavy rain, damaging winds and multiple tornado warnings to the Piedmont Triad Thursday. Scattered rain, which was heavy at times, caused flooding throughout the region.Damaging wind gusts knocked down trees and powerlines, creating travel hazards for motorists all across the Piedmont.Rescuers responded to multiple reports of people becoming trapped in vehicles that had been crushed by trees. --Live Updates --12 p.m. update: More than 163,000 people are without power in North Carolina one day after Tropical Storm Zeta hit the Piedmont. Forsyth County has the highest number of power outages in the state.8:32 a.m. update: There are numerous road closures due to fallen trees, power lines, and flooding across the Piedmont Triad. NCDOT has real time updates on Zeta's impact on travel. 8:00 a.m. Friday update: More than 185,000 outages have been reported, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety. Changes for Guilford County Schools: Alamance Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Gateway Education Center, and Southwest Elementary will operate in remote learning today. Meals are available at all other school sites for pickup.Davie County High School and North Davie Middle School do not have electricity and the school system does not have a firm answer and when it will be restored. Today will be a remote learning today for all students. Only Davie High School and North Davie Middle School students will not report to the building today.11 p.m. update: All tornado warnings in the eastern Piedmont Triad have expired. WXII 12 Chief Meteorologist Lanie Pope believes a microburst may have impacted the area.10:45 p.m. update: The tornado warnings for Guilford, Alamance and Rockingham counties have expired. 10:30 p.m. update: Tornado warnings issued for Guilford, Alamance, Caswell and Rockingham counties. 6:09 p.m. update: More than 341,000 people are still without power in North Carolina as strong winds and rain from Tropical Storm Zeta caused trees and power lines to fall.5:15 p.m. update: Kayakers floated through the streets of North Wilkesboro as Tropical Storm Zeta dumped buckets of rain Thursday, causing flooding across western North Carolina.4:40 p.m. update: Surry County 911 is reporting difficulties with receiving emergency calls from CenturyLink customers. If someone has CenturyLink and they need to reach Surry County 911, they should either call 911 from a cell phone or call the non-emergency number at 336-374-3000.3:20 p.m. update: Because of a wind advisory issued with gusts reaching 50 miles per hour and other weather conditions, President Trump's outdoor Fayetteville campaign rally has been postponed until Monday. 1:20 p.m. update: - Pilot Mountain, Grandfather Mountain and Stone Mountain are among several North Carolina state parks closed due to weather.- Because of power and internet outages, as well as dangerous travel conditions, Wake Forest University has canceled all classes for the remainder of Thursday.1:15 p.m. update: WXII 12 Chief Meteorologist Lanie Pope said the Piedmont Triad could expect storms Thursday evening, especially between 8 to 11 p.m. Lanie said strong winds could bring down more trees and cause additional problems. Colder air is on the way.12:55 p.m. update: Tanglewood Park is closed until further notice.12:45 p.m. update: Robinhood Road at Silas Creek Parkway is shut down as the Winston-Salem Fire Department works to free a person trapped in a vehicle under a tree.--Zeta's Impact -- The remnants of Hurricane Zeta were far from land over the Atlantic on Friday, but people across the South were still digging out from the powerful storm that killed six people.The wind effects of Zeta, which came ashore in Cocodrie, Louisiana, and barreled northeast, were felt all the way from the Gulf Coast to southern New Jersey. At the height of the outages, as many as 2.6 million people were without power across seven states from Louisiana to Virginia. Utility crews were out assessing the damage and fixing it. In Louisiana, one of the hardest hit areas was Grand Isle, a barrier island community south of New Orleans. Gov. John Bel Edwards called the damage there “catastrophic” and ordered the Louisiana National Guard to fly in soldiers to assist with search and rescue efforts.“As far as you can see, going down the island, the power lines are cracked in half,” Dodie Vegas said by phone Thursday after riding out the storm with family. She described torn-off roofs and scattered debris: “The middle of the island looks like a bomb was dropped.”A man was electrocuted in New Orleans, and four people died in Alabama and Georgia when trees fell on homes, authorities said, including two people who were pinned to their bed. In Biloxi, Mississippi, a man drowned when he was trapped in rising seawater.Officials repeatedly stressed that the risks were not over — pointing out that fatalities often come after a storm has passed, from things like breathing toxic generator fumes or being electrocuted by downed power lines.Zeta was the 27th named storm of a historically busy year, with more than a month left in the Atlantic hurricane season. It set a new record as the 11th named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in a single season, well beyond the nine that hit in 1916. And the coronavirus pandemic has only made things more difficult for evacuees.“Our heart breaks because this has been a tough, tough year,” said Gov. Edwards, whose state has taken the brunt of the hurricanes.Every storm is different, and with Zeta the biggest threat was its winds. The hurricane intensified quickly and was just shy of a major, Category 3 storm when it hit the Louisiana coast. With just a few days until the Nov. 3 election, there were concerns about whether the storm would impact voters’ ability to get to the polls.Far fewer early voters showed up after the storm in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a court clerk said, and power failures in two Georgia counties disrupted voting. In Louisiana, getting power back to polling centers was a priority as was letting voters know quickly if there were any changes to locations come Tuesday.In Georgia, a group of civil rights organizations asked the governor to extend early voting hours Friday.The heightened storm activity has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing wetter, stronger and more destructive storms.And as bad as the 2020 hurricane season has been, it isn’t over. Forecasters said disturbed air off the northern coast of South America could become a tropical depression and head toward Nicaragua by early next week — a forecast not lost on Louisiana’s governor.“Let’s not pray it on anybody else,” Edwards said. “Let’s just pray it away from us.”This story contains information from The Associated Press.
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — Hurricane Zeta brought heavy rain, damaging winds and multiple tornado warnings to the Piedmont Triad Thursday.
Scattered rain, which was heavy at times, caused flooding throughout the region.
Damaging wind gusts knocked down trees and powerlines, creating travel hazards for motorists all across the Piedmont.
Rescuers responded to multiple reports of people becoming trapped in vehicles that had been crushed by trees.
--Live Updates --
12 p.m. update: More than 163,000 people are without power in North Carolina one day after Tropical Storm Zeta hit the Piedmont. Forsyth County has the highest number of power outages in the state.
8:32 a.m. update: There are numerous road closures due to fallen trees, power lines, and flooding across the Piedmont Triad. NCDOT has real time updates on Zeta's impact on travel.
8:00 a.m. Friday update: More than 185,000 outages have been reported, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Changes for Guilford County Schools: Alamance Elementary, Jefferson Elementary, Gateway Education Center, and Southwest Elementary will operate in remote learning today. Meals are available at all other school sites for pickup.
Davie County High School and North Davie Middle School do not have electricity and the school system does not have a firm answer and when it will be restored. Today will be a remote learning today for all students. Only Davie High School and North Davie Middle School students will not report to the building today.
11 p.m. update: All tornado warnings in the eastern Piedmont Triad have expired. WXII 12 Chief Meteorologist Lanie Pope believes a microburst may have impacted the area.
10:45 p.m. update: The tornado warnings for Guilford, Alamance and Rockingham counties have expired.
10:30 p.m. update: Tornado warnings issued for Guilford, Alamance, Caswell and Rockingham counties.
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6:09 p.m. update: More than 341,000 people are still without power in North Carolina as strong winds and rain from Tropical Storm Zeta caused trees and power lines to fall.
5:15 p.m. update: Kayakers floated through the streets of North Wilkesboro as Tropical Storm Zeta dumped buckets of rain Thursday, causing flooding across western North Carolina.
4:40 p.m. update: Surry County 911 is reporting difficulties with receiving emergency calls from CenturyLink customers. If someone has CenturyLink and they need to reach Surry County 911, they should either call 911 from a cell phone or call the non-emergency number at 336-374-3000.
3:20 p.m. update: Because of a wind advisory issued with gusts reaching 50 miles per hour and other weather conditions, President Trump's outdoor Fayetteville campaign rally has been postponed until Monday.
1:20 p.m. update:
- Pilot Mountain, Grandfather Mountain and Stone Mountain are among several North Carolina state parks closed due to weather.
- Because of power and internet outages, as well as dangerous travel conditions, Wake Forest University has canceled all classes for the remainder of Thursday.
1:15 p.m. update: WXII 12 Chief Meteorologist Lanie Pope said the Piedmont Triad could expect storms Thursday evening, especially between 8 to 11 p.m.
Lanie said strong winds could bring down more trees and cause additional problems. Colder air is on the way.
12:55 p.m. update: Tanglewood Park is closed until further notice.
12:45 p.m. update: Robinhood Road at Silas Creek Parkway is shut down as the Winston-Salem Fire Department works to free a person trapped in a vehicle under a tree.
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You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
--Zeta's Impact --
The remnants of Hurricane Zeta were far from land over the Atlantic on Friday, but people across the South were still digging out from the powerful storm that killed six people.
The wind effects of Zeta, which came ashore in Cocodrie, Louisiana, and barreled northeast, were felt all the way from the Gulf Coast to southern New Jersey. At the height of the outages, as many as 2.6 million people were without power across seven states from Louisiana to Virginia. Utility crews were out assessing the damage and fixing it.
In Louisiana, one of the hardest hit areas was Grand Isle, a barrier island community south of New Orleans. Gov. John Bel Edwards called the damage there “catastrophic” and ordered the Louisiana National Guard to fly in soldiers to assist with search and rescue efforts.
“As far as you can see, going down the island, the power lines are cracked in half,” Dodie Vegas said by phone Thursday after riding out the storm with family. She described torn-off roofs and scattered debris: “The middle of the island looks like a bomb was dropped.”
A man was electrocuted in New Orleans, and four people died in Alabama and Georgia when trees fell on homes, authorities said, including two people who were pinned to their bed. In Biloxi, Mississippi, a man drowned when he was trapped in rising seawater.
Officials repeatedly stressed that the risks were not over — pointing out that fatalities often come after a storm has passed, from things like breathing toxic generator fumes or being electrocuted by downed power lines.
Zeta was the 27th named storm of a historically busy year, with more than a month left in the Atlantic hurricane season. It set a new record as the 11th named storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in a single season, well beyond the nine that hit in 1916. And the coronavirus pandemic has only made things more difficult for evacuees.
“Our heart breaks because this has been a tough, tough year,” said Gov. Edwards, whose state has taken the brunt of the hurricanes.
Every storm is different, and with Zeta the biggest threat was its winds. The hurricane intensified quickly and was just shy of a major, Category 3 storm when it hit the Louisiana coast.
With just a few days until the Nov. 3 election, there were concerns about whether the storm would impact voters’ ability to get to the polls.
Far fewer early voters showed up after the storm in Pascagoula, Mississippi, a court clerk said, and power failures in two Georgia counties disrupted voting. In Louisiana, getting power back to polling centers was a priority as was letting voters know quickly if there were any changes to locations come Tuesday.
In Georgia, a group of civil rights organizations asked the governor to extend early voting hours Friday.
The heightened storm activity has focused attention on climate change, which scientists say is causing wetter, stronger and more destructive storms.
And as bad as the 2020 hurricane season has been, it isn’t over. Forecasters said disturbed air off the northern coast of South America could become a tropical depression and head toward Nicaragua by early next week — a forecast not lost on Louisiana’s governor.
“Let’s not pray it on anybody else,” Edwards said. “Let’s just pray it away from us.”
This story contains information from The Associated Press.