Multiple tornadoes touch down across North Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby pushes through the state

Wake County Emergency Management plans to activate its Operations Center on Thursday morning as it prepares to respond to Tropical Storm Debby.

"We're looking to activate our EOC to what we call a level four. It's our lowest level of activation right now based off the current forecast, but we're prepared to move it to a level three or higher should we need to be able to respond or do some more coordination," explained Darshan Patel, Wake County Emergency Management's Operations Manager.

Wake County Emergency Management plans to activate its Operations Center on Thursday morning as it prepares to respond to Tropical Storm Debby.

The county opened the facility last fall, citing population growth and severe weather as two main reasons behind the investment.

Click here to read the full story.

Officials from NCDOT and the City of Raleigh both said they'll be closely monitoring water levels at known trouble spots.

There are stream gauges that can inform staffers when areas are flooding.

Officials from NCDOT and the City of Raleigh both said they'll be closely monitoring water levels at known trouble spots.

"What it does is it bounces a beam down to the water, and then it bounces right back up," said NCDOT Spokesperson Tanner Holland. "With that information, we're able to tell exactly what the water level is."

Read more here

An outer band of Tropical Storm Debby spawned a tornado in Sampson County.

It happened around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service placed the region under a tornado warning from about 2-2:30 p.m.

A first responder in Pender County filmed the video below showing the large twister spinning across a field.

A tornado touched down and damaged some homes in southern North Carolina.

Two homes were damaged along Bland School Road not far from US-421 and the Pender County line.

This is the first severe storm or tornado warning spawned in North Carolina off the bands of Tropical Storm Debby. More storms like this are possible over the next day or two as Debby pushes through the region.

The strength of the tornado was not immediately known.

Ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, occupations that spend a considerable amount of time outdoors are keeping their eyes to the sky. Landscapers, airline baggage handlers, construction crews, and roofers are all among the trades that spend the majority, if not all, of their time braving the elements.

"We've got temporary water proofing measures in just to make sure our building is nice and tight and protecting our materials," said Nathan Nelli, a supervisor for Clancy & Theys. "(We) take it seriously. Make sure all of our doors are secured. Make sure we don't have any loose materials. Make sure everything is organized and in a safe location or blowing off our project site."

Ahead of Tropical Storm Debby, occupations that spend a considerable amount of time outdoors are keeping their eyes to the sky.

Debby won't bring extreme wind like some strong hurricanes, but the gusts could still be dangerous. Nelli said the cranes on the company's construction site near the State Farmer's Market are designed to swing in the event of high gusts of wind.

"It may not look right. But I promise you it's operating the way that it's supposed to," said Nelli.

Click here to read the full story.