news-record.com

RALEIGH (AP) — The National Weather Service today confirmed that a tornado touched down Wednesday in Randolph County as the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay lingered over the Outer Banks.

Meteorologist Scott Sharp at the Raleigh weather service bureau said a tornado with winds of 65 to 85 mph was confirmed near Randleman in Randolph County. The twister damaged an outbuilding.

Personnel also were checking out reports of possible tornadoes in Chatham, Wayne and Duplin counties.

National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Merrell at Newport said the storm could linger into Friday before the weather clears early Saturday as a high pressure system arrives.

"It's mainly showers and a few thunderstorms," Merrell said. "It's not a nice beach day on the Outer Banks. The band that came through this morning is hugging the Outer Banks and taking its time getting out."

The meteorologist also said models show the high pressure could stay in place through the first of the week. That might be long enough to keep a new threat, Tropical Storm Hanna, away from the North Carolina coast.

The weather service says rainfall averaged 3 to 12 inches across central counties during two days this week as Fay's remnants trudged across North Carolina.

The weather service said copious rain fell Tuesday and Wednesday, ranging from 8 to 11 inches in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties to 3 to 7 inches around Greensboro and east to about 5 inches in the Raleigh-Durham area.

Gov. Mike Easley sent state damage assessment teams to Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties, where flooding damaged structures, covered roads and sent some residents to shelters.

An official said the statewide soaking was welcome but wouldn't wipe out the drought conditions across the state. Sixteen counties were added Thursday to the exceptional drought category — the worst — on the state's drought's monitoring list. A week ago, 21 counties were on the list.

"We certainly have been getting good immediate benefits on the surface in many areas of the Piedmont and eastern North Carolina," said Woody Yonts, chairman of the state Drought Management Advisory Council.

"The longer term drought issue remains. It took us seasons to get into the drought and it will take us seasons to get out of the drought."