Richmond County Daily Journal
The National Weather Service is calling for severe weather for 31 counties in the central part of the state, including Richmond County, and county Emergency Management is watching conditions closely.
“We’ve been watching a little more carefully than we normally do,” said Frank McKay, director of emergency management.
Specifically for Richmond County, the National Weather Service predicts rain beginning Wednesday morning with a high near 63 and an east wind 11 to 16 mph. Winds could gust as high as 34 miles per hour and the chance of precipitation is 100 percent.
Showers and possibly a thunderstorm are possible before 2 a.m. with a low around 59 and winds around 18 mph and gusts as high as 37 miles per hour.
According to the National Weather Service the weather is due to a strong low pressure system in the northwest Gulf of Mexico moving northeast through the Mississippi and Tennessee valleys. Rainfall amounts of one to two inches are possible across central North Carolina through tonight.
In addition to heavy rain, there is a risk of strong damaging winds and isolated tornadoes with any thunderstorms that develop across the area.
“Here we are, we’ve gotten out of hurricane season and we sure don’t need anything else,” McKay said regarding tornadoes. “It’s hard to prepare for tornadoes.”
McKay said if the weather gets bad, the county will open its emergency operations center and staff it to deal with whatever comes along.
Skies are due to clear by Thursday, though, and remain clear through the weekend.
n Staff writer Eren Tataragasi can be reached at (910) 997-3111 ext. 19 or at etataragasi@yourdailyjournal.com.
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