Tornado Warning Hits As N.C. School District Re-Opens For Classes

DURHAM, NC – While many schools in the state remained closed today in the wake of Hurricane Florence, Durham schools on Sunday announced they would be open. On Monday, the grey skies turned bleak and presented a potentially dangerous situation: tornadoes.

The National Weather Service at 8 a.m. issued a tornado warning for the Raleigh-Durham area, including the cities of Raleigh, Butnor and Creedmoor. The warning was to expire at 8:45 a.m. local time. The warning indicated that small marble-sized hail was possible, and that some 64 schools an six hospitals were potentially in the path of the storm.

Tornado Warning including Bahama NC until 8:00 AM EDT pic.twitter.com/x5dTojwJhy
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh) September 17, 2018

The school district posted a statement just before 9 a.m. to its website saying that it had been monitoring the weather since early Monday morning.

"We had every indication that today would be a good day to open schools," the district said. "When weather advisories were issued and conditions began to deteriorate, buses were already en route to school. In situations like these, it is generally safer for buses to bypass flooded roads and bring students to safety at our schools, which are secure facilities."

Traffic Alert: With the heavy rain coming through this morning we are seeing standing water on many roadways. Please do not drive through standing water. Turn around. Don’t drown. #durham pic.twitter.com/fOVBe545ud
— DurhamPoliceNC (@DurhamPoliceNC) September 17, 2018

While apparently no injuries or accidents occurred, Durham Police did report that there were several flooded streets and roads in Durham. A traffic alert 7:45 a.m. read: "With the heavy rain coming through this morning we are seeing standing water on many roadways. Please do not drive through standing water. Turn around. Don’t drown."

Students wait at bus stop during a tornado warning in Durham County. Neighboring counties have closed schools. @SpecNewsRDU has ongoing coverage. pic.twitter.com/0it9oacx1A
— Chris Williams (@ChrisW_SpecNews) September 17, 2018

The school district said that it is continuing to monitor the weather on Monday. It noted that any absences will be excused, and "Students that have arrived at our schools are safe and sound."

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