High wind, flood warnings issued for Wayne County
By From staff reports
Published in News on October 8, 2016 10:04 AM
Wayne County conditions are expected to increasingly worsen throughout the day today with high wind and flood warnings in effect through Sunday.
A high wind warning was issued by the National Weather Service Saturday morning, with sustained northeast winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour and wind gusts up to 45 mph expected. By the afternoon, sustained winds will increase to 30 to 40 mph, with gusts as high as 60 mph, the National Weather Service, in Raleigh, reports.
High winds combined with persistent heavy rain and saturated ground conditions make downed trees and power lines likely, especially in southern areas of the county. The warning remains in effect until 6 p.m. Sunday.
Wayne County is also under a flash flood warning until 4:15 p.m. today and a flood warning has been issued, until further notice, for areas along the Neuse River in Wayne County.
Moderate flooding is possible, with the Neuse River expected to rise above the flood stage by Sunday and rise to 23.5 feet by Wednesday afternoon.
Gov. Pat McCrory urged state residents to remain indoors during the storm. Because flooded roads can be deeper than they appear, motorists are advised to not drive through flood waters.
The National Weather Service is calling for a range of 5 to 10 inches of rain across Wayne County -- as much as 13 inches -- as Hurricane Matthew moves north, then turns east and heads out to sea.
Matthew has been downgraded to a Category 1 Hurricane with sustained winds of 85 mph.
Matthew battered Florida, Georgia and South Carolina Friday into Saturday morning, causing massive power outages, heavy flooding across coastal areas and shutting down roads and highways -- including Interstate 95 in Georgia -- before advancing northeast toward the Carolinas.
Should local roads be shut down -- highways, state roads or city streets -- updates will be posted throughout Saturday night and on Sunday under the Hurricane Matthew tab posted on our website at www.newsargus.com.
Check back regularly throughout the storm, and follow us on Twitter both @newsargus and @NewsArgusCops for the most up-to-date coverage.