4:30AM News on WRAL - Monday, July 27, 2026

This is the story of the one. The one who keeps multiple buildings running smoothly day after day. Plumbing that flows, HVAC that hums, cleaning supplies that keep surfaces sparkling. That's why she counts on Granger. With easy reordering online and 24-7 support, Granger helps her keep the product she needs on hand. So shelves stay stocked, and buildings stay ready. Call 1,800 Granger, click Granger.com, or just stop by. Granger. For the ones who get it done. Breaking news from WRAL. Coverage you can count on. And that breaking news, tree downed in Raleigh. The overnight storms that led to one tree blocking a stretch of road this morning you see here on your screen. How this could affect your morning commute. And still just a little bit of lingering rain. We'll take a look at that. And one severe storm that could affect parts of our viewing area in the next 30 minutes or so. Plus, Carrie woman missing. It has been days since she disappeared in Grenada when she was last seen and what one of her friends is urging from the community to bring her home. Those stories and others will be catching up on, including some news that broke overnight while you were sleeping. Thanks for joining us this morning, dark and early. I'm Chris Levingood. Let's hand things over to my friend Elizabeth Gardner as we're taking a look here. At some of these early morning showers, we're talking about rain coming down in Apex Inn at RDU overnight with a look at our cameras here. And I'll tell you what, Elizabeth, this morning when I woke up, I was like, is that? That thunder? And I looked at the radar. I said, oh, yeah, it's kind of passing by right now. Yeah, it did wake me up last week. We were all talking about it and woke everybody up, but me. This one got me last night. But it's mostly over. Just a couple of isolated spots down here near Southern Pines, a little shower. Another one just north of the triangle area. But this one, we're watching very closely. One more cell developing. I think once this one is gone, this is going to be it for us. But this one has produced a severe thunderstorm warning, so there's the potential for some wind damage. And that may affect. Roanoke Rapids, Halifax and North Hampton counties over the next 30 to 45 minutes. So we have our hour on that. We'll keep checking through that as we do our weather hits this morning. Other than that, everything died down. We did have a couple of severe reports up into Virginia, but the storms that developed overnight last night have pretty much dissipated. We could see another chance late this afternoon, but it would be isolated, just a 20% chance. It is wet out there, though, this morning. When I came in, streets are wet, everything's wet, trees are dripping. 71 is our temperature. We still have water on the camera lens here at RDU and our Mike DeWine points way up at 70. Our temperatures are in the low 70s this morning as you're heading out the door and we keep it under 90 today even with some sunshine. We do have more weather to watch out for though. Tomorrow's already a WRL weather alert day. We'll walk through that coming up. Chris. Hi, sounds good. We'll come back to you for a full forecast. Well, there is a stretch of Lake Dam Road north of I-40 in Raleigh that is shut down and that's because a tree fell during this morning storms. bringing Allie Cadill Bar. She's been hanging out at that scene in the W. REO breaking news tracker. Ali, I mean, this large tree, it's blocking that roadway. Now in the wet soil from overnight storms and the recent rain we've seen likely contributed to this. Take a look. You can see that large tree blocking the road here. We can also see police tape is blocking off both sides of Lake Dam Road. This is near Walnut Creek Parkway. No power outages have been reported. And I have reached out to Raleigh Police. There is an officer here blocking both sides of the road. And we are working to find out when crews will come here to clear the roadway.

A Chapel Hill man charged with attempted murder after a series of fights in Raleigh's Union Station will be in court today. 19-year-old Terrence Kiernan is facing a long list of charges. Police say that he assaulted multiple people on Friday, including officers and two train conductors. One conductor was hurt so badly. He had to be taken to the hospital, but he's expected to recover. Warrens indicate that Kiernan was screaming and cursing while hitting the side of a train and trying to climb on top of it. He's then accused of assaulting the conductors and resisting and kicking officers who tried to arrest him. He's being held in jail without bond. A man drowned in a lake in Franklin County last night. An emergency crews got that call from Lake Royal near the community pavilion around 6 p.m. Police say that a 25-year-old man went into the lake and then swam beyond the designated buoy line before going under. Search teams later recovered him and his family has been notified. However, authorities have not yet released his name. And this morning, we're also working and learn more about a large police presence in a Fuqua Verena neighborhood yesterday. This is video from the W. REO breaking news tracker on Gathering Square Court around 6 p.m. That's off North Judd Parkway, northeast, for those of you familiar, police clear the scene shortly after we arrived there, and we haven't yet heard back from police about why they were there and whether anyone was injured. Senator Lindsey Graham will be laid to rest this week in his home state of South Carolina. President Donald Trump is set to give a tribute to Graham during a funeral service tomorrow in Washington. Additional services are set for Wednesday morning in South Carolina, and they will begin with a public procession to the state house. The funeral service will be followed by a private family burial. All right, we are taking a look at gas prices from AAA this morning to see how the Warren Iran is still affecting them. And Raleigh, a gallon of gas is around $3.82. In the Durham Chapel Hill area, it's a little higher at $3.85 and in Rocky Mount, 373. But you can always go to w.orgia.com to find the lowest gas prices near you. Just search fuel. Today, students on Wake County School's modified calendar return to that classroom. And that includes at East Garner Elementary School, where the community will gather to help students kick off the new year. They will greet the kids as they arrive at 8.30 this morning. And time on the clock right now is 4.38. Remembering a loved one. People in Rocky Mountain are supporting each other after a cyclist was hit and killed by a car. The message to drivers, his family is sharing. And changing control, a program aimed to protect victims of stalking and domestic violence will have new oversight. Why state leaders are shifting who's responsible for ankle monitors. And last night's storms are mostly over. Just in our northeastern counties, there's one more cell that could have some effects on parts of the morning. And we'll talk about who could see that and how long it could last.

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442. All the storms from last night mostly have dissipated except one up near the Virginia line. Technically, it's not in our viewing area yet. But here's Roanoke Rapids. So Northampton and Halifax County, this storm system may dissipate and not still be severe as it moves eastward. But as it moves toward our viewing area, we're going to continue to watch that closely. If that does move through, we could have the potential for some wind damage this morning up around Roanoke Rapids. Again, Halifax and Northampton counties. We're looking at a small chance of some showers later on this afternoon. and most of that may end up being east of our viewing area. Take a live look at Fittin and Kerry this morning. Still cloudy out there. You're going to run into some wet conditions, but skies should start to clear pretty nicely this morning. Our temperatures range from 66 in Roanuck Rapids to 74 in Southern Pines, 71 in Durham, 72 in Goldsboro. There are some lingering puddles out there this morning as you're walking the dog early on, but we'll dry out nicely with some sunshine this afternoon and highs in the upper 80s. Tomorrow is a WRL weather alert day. Widespread level 2. to risk. I'll explain what that means and the timeline for the storms. Coming up, Chris. All right, we'll see in just a bit, Elizabeth. Family and friends gathered in Rocky Mount this weekend. To remember a man, they say, touched countless lives. 70-year-old Gonzalo Torres Perez died after he was hit by a car while riding his bike. This was last week on the Thomas A. Betts Parkway. Loved ones say that he was known across the community for his kindness, and they hope that his death will lead to safer streets for everyone who walks or rides a bike. Let's be more safe on the streets when we're driving because unfortunately for us it was a loved one and I do not want it to be one of your loved ones to suffer. Family and friends are calling for more bike lanes and safer roads in Rocky Mount. Police say the drivers stayed at the scene and the crash remains under investigation. The State Bureau of Investigation is taking over an ankle monitoring program. This is one that tracks more than a thousand people charged with crimes right here across North Carolina. And the program aims to protect victims of stalking and domestic abuse. The new state budget... It moves control of the program away from a group called the Criminal Justice Network Information Network. About a year ago, that group needed emergency state funding to stay afloat. And the Senate leader of Phil Berger's office says lawmakers gave control to the FBI to ensure the program's long-term viability. You can read the full report under the NC Capital section of WRL.com. Or for the last 50 years, Kerry-based SAS has helped shape the triangle and the tech industry around the world. Sasco founder and CEO Jim Goodnight joined WRL for an exclusive conversation about how the company got its start and what guides him. I say if you treat people like they make a difference, they will make a difference. And that's sort of been one of my philosophies all along. Good night explains what's next for the company from AI to quantum computing. WRL presents SAS at 50. It airs Wednesday night at 7.30 on WRL.

Well, parts of the central U.S. are dealing with extreme heat, and that is leading to action from the federal government. The Energy Department issued an emergency order to prevent blackouts from increased AC usage, and the order directs the southwest power pool to take steps to help keep the electricity flowing. Energy Secretary Chris Wright says the Trump administration is also tapping into unused backup generation to make sure there is no disruption in service. This applies to 17 states. The order will remain in effect until next Monday. And we will get another update tomorrow about how all of this recent rainfall is affecting our drought conditions. The U.S. Army or Corps of Engineers will release new numbers on water levels at Falls Lake. Last week's update showed our water supply had risen to 66%, and there is still a long way to go. Falls Lake is still a little more than five feet below where it needs to be, and Raleigh remains under stage one water restrictions. And the recent rainfall is slowly easing drought conditions in Durham as well. The city is pumping water from... tier quarry to take pressure off its reservoirs but Officials say that it's still important to conserve water to avoid stricter restrictions. I'm pretty sure a lot of people, Elizabeth, not complaining with all the rain we've been seeing. Yeah, in a little bit, some places got more than they probably should have at once. But the goal here is to get us out of the drought. Yes, things have been looking so good over the last several weeks. Coming up in a few minutes, we're going to talk about how much rain we've seen. And we did have a nice little improvement in our drought monitor. Now, of course, we still have a long way to go. But one thing about having this rainy thing, pattern is nobody is wishing that they could or feeling like they need to water their yards. And so that really allows those reservoirs to, you know, kind of creep back up again. It takes some time. But we're coming along. Right now, of course, we had some showers and thunderstorms overnight for the most part in most of our viewing area. Those are over. But I have an eye on this. Notice that the yellow box there. That's a severe thunderstorm morning. It expired and the weather service did not re-reworn the storm. So we'll watch it. Definitely has some heavy rain, some lightning with it. So Roanoke Rapids, parts of Halifax and North Hampton County could see this cell as it is diving southward. We'll let you know if it's something you need to be concerned about. There certainly will be some strong winds with that, but they may not reach severe criteria. Just a short while ago, just about 30 minutes ago, we still had a few showers here. And Southern Granville County and Wake County, those have dissipated. There's really not much rain left on Duel Doffler 5,000 radar in our viewing area. As we head through the morning, we'll likely have some sunshine. trying to break out. This is 10 o'clock in the morning. There's 11 o'clock. Notice showers and thunderstorms developing over closer to the coast. It's possible that we could see some of those in our far eastern counties. We should see some sunshine this afternoon and that's going to allow our temperatures to warm up. It's been nice and cool over the last several days, certainly through the weekend. Tomorrow we're going to change things back up again. We're going to have a disturbance that drops in on us that has a chance of some widespread severe storms. Mainly this would be wind damage. Obviously with a level two risk. It means that we could have an isolated tornado as well. But looking at scattered severe storms, this is going to be fairly late. Most likely after sunset, our main threat will be wind damage and hail northwest of the triangle. A little better chance of tornadoes in the eastern part of our viewing area and down east toward the coast. These storms will be moving from north to south across our area. So we'll be watching that closely for tomorrow. This morning as you're heading out the door, of course it's sticky out there, 70, due point 71, due point 70 with a temperature of 70.

and we'll climb into the upper 80s to right around 90s. So it'll be a real humid day for us. It'll be hotter tomorrow at 91, but look at these 80s. I mean, gosh, it seems like so much of July was brutally hot. And in our seven day forecast, only one day with highs in the 90s. Some of these days should be pretty comfortable. As a matter of fact, some of the overnight lows will be down into the 60s, Chris. Okay, 60s. Not bad about that. Thanks, Elizabeth. New films and box office hits. A familiar face will join the MCU and The Odyssey as a blockbuster despite a social media league. That's ahead in the Hollywood Minute. And Punch the Monkey turns one. The monkey that won hearts all around the world hits a milestone today. How the zoo where he lives helped him celebrate. Time right now is 453 as we're waking up giving you a live look at Fenton and Kerry this morning. If you miss Elizabeth Forecast, don't worry. She'll have it coming up again here on WRL News in just a moment. Well, another A-list actor is joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And David Daniel has that and more in today's Hollywood Minute. I felt like this is sort of a lightning in a bottle. Ryan Gosling is finally joining the MCU. Marvel announced at Comic-Con, he'll play the supernatural motorcyclist Ghost Rider. Sean Levy, who's currently directing Gosling in Star Wars Starfighter, will direct him in Ghost Rider as well. Starfighter hits theaters next May. Ghost Rider is due out in 2028. You're a man who needs to control his fate. You cannot control it. The Odyssey has been leaked online. One copy of the Christopher Nolan Blockbuster had more than 2 million views on X before it was taken down and the account that posted it was suspended. That hasn't kept the Odyssey from dominating the box office. It's made some $640 million worldwide in its first 10 days. There was a hunger in China for connection with the West.

Their eyes were open, their hearts were humming. Wham, 10 days in China, looks at George Michael and Andrew Ridgley's 1985 shows in Beijing and Guangzhou, the first Western pop group to perform in China. The documentary opens in theaters Tuesday. In Hollywood, I'm David Daniel. Okay, so the classic movie, Stand By Me, marked its 40th anniversary this weekend. Thousands of people traveled to Brownsville, Oregon, where that movie was shot, but this isn't the first year people have gathered there to celebrate the film. Stand By Me Day was launched back in 2007, and organizers transformed the town back into Castle Rock. Some visitors even participated in a pie eating contest and met with some of the original cast and crew members. Pretty cool. Okay, so you remember that beloved Japanese monkey punch? Well, he turned one over the weekend. Hundreds of birthday's cards from around the world are on display at the zoo in Japan where Punch lives. It's not quite clear if he can read them, but it's still exciting nonetheless. Zoo officials say that Punch was abandoned by his mama after birth and was nursed by zookeepers. While they gave him that stuffed orangutan, you see right there, and that trained him to cling. Photos and video of punch, dragging the much bigger stuff, the animal went viral, and more than 90,000 people visited the zoo and March Alert. Cute little monkey. Well, tonight's powerball jackpot is worth an estimated $633 million, which means it's a lump sum cash value of $277 million if you choose that option. You can watch tonight's drawing before WRL News at 11 o'clock. And looking ahead to tomorrow night, the Mega Millions will be worth an estimated $800 million. The cash option for that is $344 million. It's the 10th largest jackpot in Mega Millions history, and you can watch that drawing tomorrow before WRL News at 11. Time on the clock this Monday morning is 4.56, and we're talking about this right here, this tree down in Raleigh. This is a live look at the stretch of road that's now blocked. We'll talk about how this could affect your morning commute. And a carry woman still missing. It is day five in the search to find her after she disappeared in Grenada. What one of her friends is urging from the community to bring her home. And health care deal town hall. Community members have the chance to learn more about proposed WakeMed Atrium merger today. What you need to note before today's conversation. Guided by a shared purpose and a spirit of collaboration, Emory University students push each other to think creatively and work cooperatively, knowing that different perspectives lead to new ideas. What makes Emory special is that it has very rigorous academics, but a community that is willing to support each other. People are always willing to study together and work hard together. Learn more at emory.edu.