Severe thunderstorms and heavy rain pounded areas north of the Albemarle Sound for much of Tuesday afternoon, ahead of cold front that is bringing welcome relief from the recent heat wave.
Several tornado warnings were issued with the strongest cells, including one that reportedly spawned a funnel cloud outside Elizabeth City.
While there have been no confirmed twisters, some tree damage had been reported in Currituck and Camden counties. A house fire was reported in Perquimans County from a lightning strike.
There were scattered also power outages reported, along with standing water in normally-flood prone areas from Edenton to Moyock.
The National Weather Service has cancelled the severe thunderstorm watch for eastern North Carolina. A flash flood watch remains for areas north of the Albemarle Sound until 11 p.m.
The line of precipitation was slowly moving southward and storms were expected to cross the Outer Banks late Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
The thunderstorms could bring heavy rain, damaging winds and hail, along with isolated tornadoes. One to three inches of rain, with some spots getting as much as five inches, that could lead to localized minor flooding in rural areas.
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Meanwhile, the third tropical cyclone of 2019 that formed Monday afternoon off Florida has dissipated. Remnant moisture from the system is expected to interact with the front as moves across eastern North Carolina.
Ahead of the front, winds from the south increased to 20 to 25 mph with gusts up to 30 mph.
While the onshore flow along south facing beaches will be decreasing on Wednesday, a moderate risk of rip currents is forecast for Wednesday from Cape Hatteras to Ocracoke Inlet. That includes the beaches of Frisco, Hatteras village and all of Ocracoke Island.
Once the front clears us Wednesday night, we will see more seasonable temperatures with highs in the mid 80s and lows in the mid 70s into the weekend.
National Weather Service forecast for Nags Head, as of Tuesday, 8 p.m.:
Tonight: Showers and thunderstorms likely before midnight, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between midnight and 3am, then a chance of showers after 3am. Some storms could be severe, with heavy rain. Cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy, with a southwest wind 17 to 22 mph becoming west 9 to 14 mph after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Wednesday: A chance of showers, mainly before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. North wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: A slight chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 73. Northeast wind 11 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Northeast wind 14 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75. Northeast wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Friday Night:Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 75.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 85.
Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 86.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 75.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 85.
