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June marks the beginning of the Atlantic Hurricane Season, and that means preparations are underway across the Gulf and Atlantic Coast states. In North Carolina, weather is already a big deal, but the threat of powerful cyclones marks a new level of danger. While we cannot predict the future, we do know that preparation is key. Use this guide to get ready before storms arrive.

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Hurricane Idalia made landfall Wednesday morning in Florida, bringing a dangerous storm surge and 130 mph winds to the state’s Big Bend and starting on its northeasterly path that will bring tropical storm conditions all the way to North Carolina.

The National Weather Service Raleigh issued a hazardous weather outlook for central North Carolina, forecasting strong winds and heavy rain Wednesday and Thursday.

Here’s what to expect from the storm today. We will update this story as NOAA adds new information.

7:45 AM EDT update: Extremely dangerous Category 3 Hurricane #Idalia makes landfall in the Florida Big Bend. Maximum sustained winds were estimated to be 125 mph. Catastrophic storm surge and damaging winds ongoing. pic.twitter.com/umMdj8dD5d

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) August 30, 2023

▪ Rain in the Triangle: The Raleigh area will get 1-2 inches of rain from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday evening.

▪ Rain across NC: The heaviest amounts are expected in the Sandhills region, covering the surrounding Fayetteville area and Cumberland County, said meteorologist Andrew Kren. Total rainfall amounts of 2-5 inches through Thursday are expected south and east of Raleigh with localized amounts of more than 6 inches.

Flash flooding and river flooding are possible. Urban flooding is possible especially in Wilmington and Fayetteville, meteorologists say. Light rain began on the southern coast of North Carolina after 2 p.m. as the first bands of the storm arrived.

Parts of the Piedmont could get up to 2 inches of rain from the storm.

▪ Flooding: Possible across southern and eastern portions of North Carolina. A flood watch is in effect from 2 p.m. Wednesday through Thursday evening.

Excessive runoff might result in flooded rivers, creeks, streams and other flood-prone locations.

Wednesday afternoon, Cumberland County announced it would open two emergency shelters for residents who need a safe place to go during the storm. Smith Recreation Center at 1520 Slater Avenue and Kiwanis Recreation Center at 352 Devers Street will open at 7 p.m. today.

*A storm-surge watch is in effect from Beaufort Inlet to Ocracoke Inlet, and in the Neuse and Pamlico rivers. Water could reach up to 4 feet above ground level in some areas under the right conditions.

▪ Rough seas/Rip currents: The marine forecast for areas North Carolina affected by the storm calls for 4- to 6-foot seas Wednesday afternoon, 7- to 10-foot seas after midnight and 8- to 11-foot seas on Thursday. Increased wave action raises the risk of dangerous rip currents.

Cape Lookout National Seashore will temporarily close all public access facilities on Thursday due to the risk of rip currents and of flooded roads leading to the area.

▪ Wind: Gusty winds of 30 to 40 mph. Isolated gusts to 45 mph.

There is a 5-10% chance of tropical storm force winds across southeastern portions of central North Carolina. The earliest reasonable time of arrival is early Wednesday evening.

▪ Tornadoes can be spawned by hurricanes and often cause more injury and damage than the hurricane itself. A tornado watch is in effect from Hilton Head, S.C. to Surf City until 10 p.m. Wednesday. In North Carolina, the watch covers Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover and Pender counties.

Flooding at the coast can be made even worse with Wednesday night’s supermoon, which is triggering a king tide.

People who live near the beach can sometimes have flooding issues from the king tides alone, even without a tropical cyclone.

“Wrightsville Beach is expecting its high tide at 7:55 a.m. Thursday morning, for example, and Beaufort’s is at 8:32 a.m., coinciding with the time impacts will be ongoing from Idalia. This could exacerbate already high water levels, particularly in those most vulnerable areas,” said Ryan Ellis, science and operations officer at NWS’ Morehead City office.

Wednesday afternoon, Cumberland County announced it would open two emergency shelters for residents who need a safe place to go during the storm. Smith Recreation Center at 1520 Slater Avenue and Kiwanis Recreation Center at 352 Devers Street will open at 7 p.m. today.

After making landfall as a Category 3 hurricane, Idalia lost some strength through the day, with wind speeds dropping to 70 mph before 5 p.m., degrading to a tropical storm. Meteorologists say the center of the storm should track northeasterly across Florida on its way to the Atlantic.

NOAA says the storm should move offshore on Thursday and track to the east-southeast into the Atlantic Friday.

Late Wednesday morning, the southeast U.S. coast was under a tropical storm warning from Sebastian Inlet, Fla., to the Virginia border, with a section of Florida still under a hurricane warning.

Here's the latest on impacts from Hurricane #Idalia in central #NCwx. 2-5" of rain (locally 5-7") is expected to the south & east of Raleigh, which may cause flash flooding. Wind gusts of 30-45 mph may also cause scattered downed trees & power outages, especially in the far SE. pic.twitter.com/PE6ahK0v8K

— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) August 30, 2023

This story was originally published August 30, 2023, 9:48 AM.

A heat wave will settle in the Triangle this week, with temperatures rising to the high 90s just weeks before the first day of fall.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh predicts the high temperatures to last through Thursday, with the hottest days on Tuesday and Wednesday when highs could reach between 97 and 99 degrees in the Raleigh-Durham area.

Heat indexes for central North Carolina will range between 100 and 105 degrees, the NWS said. The area is under a hazardous weather outlook alert.

This week’s temperatures are some of the hottest of the summer and resemble record-setting numbers in the Raleigh-Durham area from the first week of September 1954. That year, the temperature hit 104 degrees on Sept. 6, and 97 degrees the following day, Sept. 7, according to Andrew Kren, a meteorologist at the NWS in Raleigh.

The highest temperature ever in the Raleigh area, 105 degrees, was recorded in July 2012, according to the NWS.

Kren said temperatures will start to dip on Thursday, but the change “won’t be that noticeable.” The high on Thursday will be in the 90s.

“Until we get to Friday, then we’ll have a chance of storms with a cold front approaching the area,” Kren said. “We are expecting cooler temperatures Saturday and Sunday. We’ll be in the low- to mid-80s behind that cold front, so there will be nicer weather for the weekend.”

On Friday, the Triangle will see afternoon thunderstorms and temperatures in the low 90s. The coolest day will be Sunday with a high near 85 degrees.

Temperatures in the areas of Raleigh, Greensboro and Fayetteville were above average for August, the NWS reported. In Raleigh, the hottest day of the month was Aug. 15, with a high of 100 degrees, breaking a 2007 record. The average high temperature in the area was 91 degrees.

When heading outdoors this week, Kren recommends staying hydrated and completing any outdoor activities before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

“You have to ensure to drink plenty of water. Being dehydrated can encourage heat exhaustion and heat stress on the body,” he said.

The NWS also warns against leaving children or animals in cars.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:

Adults 65 and up, toddlers, and people with chronic disease or mental illness are more susceptible to heat-related illness or heat stroke and exhaustion.

Wake County government announced Monday night that residents may use theselocations to beat the heat:

Tuesday, noon-5:15 p.m., and Wednesday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5:15 p.m.

Tuesday, noon-closing time, and Wednesday-Thursday, normal operating hours

N.C. State returns to Raleigh this weekend to host its home opener against No. 13 Notre Dame. The Wolfpack pulled off a road victory over a much-improved UConn team last week, and now it wants a second win in front of its fans.

Notre Dame comes into the matchup with Week 0 and Week 1 victories over Navy (42-3) and Tennessee State (56-3), respectively.

It’s unlikely either squad will blow out the other in the upcoming contest, though, and will be more evenly matched. Navy’s recent seasons haven’t been anything special, winning just 11 games in the last three – matching what it did in 2019 alone – while the Tigers compete on the FCS level.

This weekend should give both programs a better idea of where their strengths and weaknesses lie.

N.C. State will see a familiar foe in the backfield this weekend. Notre Dame’s offense is led by Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman, who had a tough day when State beat his the Demon Deacons last year. He threw for 397 yards and two touchdowns. Hartman also threw three interceptions and was sacked four times.

The Irish offense put up 1,001 yards of total offense in the first two contests of 2023, with 589 passing and 412 rushing.

With struggles on defense in East Hartford, the Wolfpack expressed determination to fix the issues this week.

“We gotta get a lot better on defense. We had a lot of busted plays and a lot of rushing yards. That’s not our identity,” graduate linebacker Payton Wilson said last week. “Our identity is to come down and hit rushers in the mouth. We don’t want anyone getting any rushing yards and they had a lot tonight. That’s something we definitely have to go back to the drawing board and fix.”

The Pack’s pass rush defense wasn’t bad in the opener. It recorded two sacks, an interception and six pass breakups. The two sacks and one pick are on par to last year’s defense, averaging 2.2 sacks and 1.5 interceptions per game. Though the team is just one game into the season, N.C. State nearly doubled its breakups from last year’s average of 3.7 per game.

However, State gave up 160 yards rushing and two touchdowns, including the 71-yarder from UConn’s Victor Rosa.

Comparatively, the Irish have made early improvements in red zone defense. They allowed just one field goal from their first two opponents, holding Navy to one score on two in the red zone chances while Tennessee State was 1-for3. Last fall, Notre Dame allowed 32 red zone scores on 34 opponent chances. Of those opportunities, 27 were touchdowns.

Its overall defense recorded 113 tackles in its two appearances. Notre Dame added 10 tackles for a loss of 61 yards, including one for 24 yards, four breakups, two interceptions and 12 quarterback hurries.

Everyone knows N.C. State prides itself on defense, so it will be interesting to see what changes will be made this week. Will it have key starters like Savion Jackson back? How will its adjustments impact the Irish offense, especially since Hartman wants to avenge last year’s loss with Wake Forest? How significant will the adjustments be? Are Notre Dame’s numbers wildly inflated due to the level of competition? A lot of questions remain about both teams, but there should be a better idea on Saturday.

Notre Dame opened as a 7.5-point favorite and that number is the same at most sportsbooks. The over-under is 50.5 points.

Teams: N.C. State Wolfpack (1-0) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0)

Where: Carter-Finley Stadium, Raleigh

Date: Saturday, Sept. 9

Time: Noon

TV: ABC

Stream: ESPN+, Disney+, DIRECTV, fuboTV, Hulu + Live TV, SlingTV and YouTube TV

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- With Idalia pushing into North Carolina, many school systems decided to cancel Thursday classes.

Some of the largest districts, including Wake, Durham, Johnston, Nash, and Moore counties will all be closed.

Others, including Cumberland, Harnett, and Lee county school districts, are moving to remote learning for Thursday.

Some Wake County parents expressed frustration online about the decision to cancel classes. WCPSS didn't make the announcement until a little after 8 p.m.

Earlier, state leaders at the Emergency Operations Center spoke Wednesday about plans in place ahead of the storm.

"We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," Gov. Roy Cooper said.

He warned that it was important for people to stay off the roads. He also said everyone should listen to and heed emergency alerts in their area.

Emergency crews, including the National Guard, are staged across the state and ready to respond as needed. Swift water rescue teams are also on high alert in areas where the most rain is expected.

WATCH: Gov. Cooper's full remarks ahead of storm

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"We're hoping for the best and preparing for the worst," Gov. Roy Cooper said.

Cooper said the state was also working with utility companies in the state to make sure they can respond to any outages as quickly as possible.

TRACKING IDALIA: Latest forecast for North Carolina

"Take care of yourselves, and your community--especially those friends and neighbors who need assistance," Director of Emergency Management William Ray said.

Ray confirmed emergency crews would respond to areas in North Carolina first and then work to assist any other states that may need more resources.

RALEIGH and WAKE COUNTY

Water rescue crews prepare for possible flooding from Idalia.

SEE ALSO | North Carolina beaches prepare for Idalia as it moves up East Coast

Cooper has already declared a state of emergency.

Download the ABC11 App for Stories of the Day, Breaking News and Weather

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said Tuesday it had 2,300 employees across the state ready to respond. NCDOT started checking well-known trouble spots Tuesday in preparation for heavy rainfall, clearing drains and basins.

Duke Energy said with a lot of rain and wind there could be downed trees and downed power lines.

FAYETTEVILE and SANDHILLS

Rain began picking up in Cumberland County throughout Wednesday evening and emergency management officials said they had opened shelters and launched a shuttle and other services as part of preparations for storm response.

Cumberland, Hoke, and Sampson counties were under a Tropical Storm Warning until further notice. They were also under a Flood Watch overnight.

Fayetteville braces for effects from Tropical Storm Idalia

Town leaders in Spring Lake watch areas prone to flooding and ask drivers to be careful if they need to be out overnight.

"A lot of that depends on the timing of, of rain that comes with it, how much rain you get, how much when you get in combination because that ground gets softer, that can help to topple trees as the wind comes through," Jeff Brooks said who is a spokesperson for Duke Energy.

Join ABC11 starting at 4 a.m. Thursday as we track Idalia's impact across the Triangle areas

WAYNE COUNTY

Steady rain began falling about 8:30 p.m. and gradually got heavier in Goldsboro and other parts of Wayne County on Wednesday night.

Goldsboro town officials said they have been preparing for a possible hit from Idalia since Monday.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH

Rain and wind picked up strength throughout the day and into the evening as Tropical Storm Idalia neared.

Earlier Wednesday, surfers and swimmers enjoyed the energetic surf kicked up by Idalia's outer bands. But as the sea grew rougher, beachgoers left the water.

The North Carolina hills are about to be alive with color, and forecasters have released their projections for when the shades of red, yellow and orange will be their most intense.

If you plan a trip to the mountains, know that tens of thousands of people come to the region each fall in pursuit of “peak” color, which also means peak traffic, especially along the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Arriving a few days before or after the projected peak for a particular elevation — and going on a Tuesday instead of a Saturday — allows you to see essentially nature’s same masterpiece, but it’s easier to find parking spots at the overlooks and there will be fewer strangers in the margins of your photos.

Maples, beech, birch and other deciduous trees in the N.C. mountains show their colors from late September through early November every year, with the peak of color happening first at the highest elevations and cascading to lower elevations over the next several weeks.

Blue Ridge Parkway biologists say colors peak at slightly different times from year to year because of complex environmental factors and the trees’ genetics. Colors are best in years when autumn days are cool and sunny, and night temperatures stay above freezing.

The most colorful autumns usually follow summers when the mountains have had ideal rainfall — enough but not too much.

Unusually cold temperatures in early fall usually result in a subdued color palate, biologists say.

Here’s a breakdown of peak color forecasts by elevation for this year, offered by the N.C. High Country Host, based in Blowing Rock:

▪ A drive along any of the 252 miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway through North Carolina will be dazzling. From the overlooks, drivers often can see a carpet of color stretching out over thousands of feet in elevation. (There are some ongoing closures on the parkway for maintenance and repairs that require detours, described here, but those can be fun.)

To see the peak in late September:

▪ Visit Mount Mitchell State Park and hike to the observation deck. The highest peak in the Eastern U.S. can be shrouded in fog even when the surrounding area is under blue skies, but the drive to and from the park offers a rich display in late September. Check current conditions at Mount Mitchell through the N.C. High Peaks Trail Association’s weather station.

▪ Go to Grandfather Mountain – the private attraction, adjacent to the state park – and visit the mile-high swinging bridge for a panoramic view of the changing leaves on the mountaintops.

In the first half of October:

▪ When leaves are peaking in the 4,000- and 5,000-foot range, have a picnic and take a hike at Mount Jefferson State Natural Area, about a half-hour north of Boone and about 10 minutes from the town of West Jefferson.

▪ Visit Howard’s Knob, a small Watauga County park overlooking the town of Boone, which also has picnic tables and walking paths. It’s a 10-minute drive from downtown. Note that it closes for the year on Oct. 20.

In the second half of October:

▪ Leaves will be gorgeous around Julian Price Memorial Park on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with its scenic lake and friendly hiking trails, as well as the adjacent Moses Cone Memorial Park, where the textile magnate’s 20-room mountain home is once again open to the public. Inside the manor is a gift shop of the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Autumn is festival season in the mountains, with events that coincide with some of the best fall color, including:

▪ Cherokee Heritage Festival in Hayesville

▪ Art in the Park, Blowing Rock

▪ Prohibition Hot Rod & Moonshine Festival, and Carolina in the Fall Music and Food Festival, both in Wilkesboro

▪ New River Festival, Todd

▪ Wooly Worm Festival, Banner Elk

▪ Autumn at Oz and the Mile-High Kite Festival, both in Beech Mountain

▪ Antlers & Acorns, Boone

▪ Valle Country Faire, Valle Crucis

▪ West Jefferson Antiques Fair, West Jefferson

▪ Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands, Asheville

Or if you want to see how the colors are looking in the area where you plan to travel, the Blue Ridge Parkway has a list of web cam links that will give you a glimpse.

This story was originally published September 1, 2023, 3:46 PM.