North Carolina will see some indirect impacts from Hurricane Isaias

Ethan Clark

October 8, 2026 at 11:50:44 AM

🌀 Hurricane Isaias Update: Good afternoon, everyone. I know you've been waiting for this; here's my forecast update on Isaias's indirect impacts on North Carolina this weekend. The positives: This is NOT a repeat of Helene by any means at all, so please don't think that! The weekend isn't a total washout; there will be dry time, and the storm is moving fast enough to clear out pretty quickly. The world is not ending here in NC, and we will be just fine. Don't stress. Isaias became a Hurricane overnight and will keep strengthening until landfall, and it will make landfall along the Florida/Alabama-Mississippi coast on Friday evening; significant impacts are likely in these areas. This update will cover impacts in NC, though. Even though Isaias's center will go into Tennessee and not impact NC directly, we will get indirect impacts from the outer bands and the surrounding front.

📌Here's how I think it'll play out:

RAIN: Scattered to isolated showers will be around across the state Saturday morning, and but there will be breaks and dry time for sure Saturday morning into the afternoon; coverage looks pretty hit or miss. Saturday afternoon and evening rain chances ramp up, especially west and along the coast, it seems; some rain could be heavy at times by the time the evening and overnight rolls along. Sunday morning rain will be around hit or miss throughout the state, and start clearing out Sunday PM/evening. The race in Charlotte is trending drier btw.

Amounts Image 2: Rainfall through Sunday PM, we will see generally 1-2 inches along the high mountains, and in Central and Northern NC. At this point, we're not expecting much flooding; we would only see some if a storm trains over the same area. Most of these areas desperately need the rain. 2-4 inches in the orange-area parts of the mountians/foothills and then coastal areas. Along the coast, the front could enhance rain at times, so we could see some bursts of heavy rainfall. Across the Foothills and Blue Ridge Escarpment, we could see some localized flooding in flood-prone areas if heavier rain sets up, so we will watch it. The rainfall forecast is still fluid, and with any tropical system can change, so stay tuned and don't take it literally this is using my best knowledge of the setup and models to make this.

Wind: Winds will really not be a concern but some gusty winds of 20-35MPH are possible with up to 45MPH in the mountians, maybe a couple of isolated outages in the mountians but I am really not concerned about this.

Tornado Threat: Given that NC is on the right side of the storm, and high wind shear is around, especially late Saturday into Sunday, we could see a low-end tornado threat develop in parts of Eastern/Central NC late Saturday night into Sunday, but the threat is fluid and not a certainty right now. So, stay tuned; overall, it looks pretty low. I'm watching, of course.

😎The Bottom Line: The world is not ending; we will be just fine. Minimal overall impact: This system is moving fast and isn't a repeat of Helene; the weekend won't be a washout and will feature plenty of dry time, including a trending-dry race in Charlotte. Rainfall: Expect 1 to 2 inches of rain across central and northern areas, and 2 to 4 inches in the mountains, foothills, and coast, bringing mostly beneficial moisture but a localized risk of flooding in vulnerable spots. Minor Wind & Low Tornado Risk: Sustained winds and gusts (20–35 MPH, up to 45 MPH in the mountains) are mostly a minor nuisance, though a low-end, highly fluid tornado threat will be monitored across Eastern and Central NC late Saturday night into Sunday. Stay tuned on that. This is the forecast as I see it now, but remember it is a science and things can and will change, so I'll do my best to keep you posted!

Mountains

110°F

Raleigh area

CADEN NELSON

What Meteorologists are Looking For on Radar During Severe Weather

Caden Nelson

Jun 17

2 min read

We've all experienced it - gathering around the TV as the broadcast meteorologist goes through a list of cities and towns in the path of a tornado-warned storm. But how do meteorologists know when to warn a storm? What are meteorologists looking for?

If you've ever driven past a National Weather Service office, there's likely one thing that stood out - a NEXRAD (Next-Generation Radar) doppler radar.

The NEXRAD Radar at Fort Fix in New Jersey

A Brief History of Weather Radar

Prior to the NEXRAD, the national radar network consisted of WSR-57 (developed in 1957) and WSR-74 (developed in 1974). While helpful at the time, the United States knew it needed an upgrade. Why? Because neither radar allowed meteorologists to see wind speed and wind direction, which is crucial for detecting rotation within storms.

What Makes NEXRAD Different?

NEXRAD came with a number of improvements, including Base Velocity (BV), which shows wind direction. Not only that but it also improved resolution and sensitivity and most importantly, an increased range.

Scientific American's graphic below shows exactly how doppler weather radar works:

So, back to our scenario - sitting in the living room, around the TV, watching the tornado-warned storm heading towards you. How do meteorologists know that there's rotation?

On a velocity radar scan (bottom left), colors represent wind motion:

Green shades = wind moving toward the radar
Red shades = wind moving away from the radar

When these two strong signals appear right next to each other, it indicates rotation within the storm. This is what meteorologists refer to as a velocity couplet, and it can be a strong sign that a tornado is forming—or already occurring.

Another critical radar product is Correlation Coefficient (CC) - the image on the right.

This tool helps meteorologists determine what types of objects are being picked up by the radar.

High values (reds/oranges/yellows): uniform precipitation like rain or hail
Lower values (blues/greens): mixed or non-uniform objects

When a distinct “drop” or pocket of low correlation appears inside a storm, it can indicate debris being lofted into the air—such as:

roofing material
siding
trees
or other ground-level debris

This is often referred to as a debris signature, and it can be strong evidence that a tornado is on the ground.

So do we always know when a tornado is on the ground? Not always. Radar gives meteorologists powerful clues, but it is not perfect. Some tornadoes are short-lived, rain-wrapped, or occur in areas where radar resolution is limited. However, when strong rotation and a debris signature appear together, confidence increases significantly that a tornado is ongoing.

The bottom line: if a Tornado Warning is issued, take cover immediately.