Wedding venue in Blue Ridge, GA for couples in Fayetteville, NC

(This story was updated to add new information.)

Tropical Storm Helene, which made landfall in Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, is expected to cause severe weather in the Fayetteville area on Friday, and a tornado watch is in effect until 6 p.m.

While Western North Carolina is bearing the brunt of the storm in North Carolina, Cumberland County will likely experience high winds and rain, the worst of which is expected to happen by 2 or 3 p.m. Friday.

A flash flood warning is in effect for Cumberland County until 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh has extended a tornado watch for Cumberland County until 6 p.m. Friday. The watch covers multiple North Carolina counties, including Bladen, Harnett, Hoke, Moore, Robeson and Sampson counties.

In addition to the tornado watch, Cumberland County and the Sandhills are under a wind advisory through 6 p.m. Friday. The National Weather Service in Raleigh said winds of 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 35 to 40 mph can be expected.

Cumberland County and the Sandhills are also under a flood watch through 6 p.m. Friday. Excessive rainfall could lead to flash flooding, according to the NWS.

Closings and delays

• Cumberland County Schools reported Thursday that it would shift to remote learning Friday.

• Fort Liberty is on a two-hour delay.

• Fayetteville Technical Community College is closed today.

• Fayetteville State University has canceled classes for Friday. The Early Childhood Learning Center is closed. Campus activities and sporting events remain open, and the dining hall will operate as usual.

• The Ann Street Landfill, at 698 Ann St., is closed on Friday. All other Solid Waste sites are open.

Power outages

Check overall Cumberland County outages by clicking on this link.

Check Fayetteville PWC outages by clicking on this link.

Check Duke Energy outages by clicking on this link.

Check Lumbee River outages by clicking on this link.

Check South River EMC outages by clicking on this link.

Warnings and watches

Click this link to see the latest weather warnings and watches for Cumberland County.

Rainfall

See rainfall predictions in the Fayetteville area here.

Storm trackers

Track the storm here.

Check out the storm's "spaghetti models" here.

River levels

Check river levels, including the Cape Fear River, at this link.

Flooding

Enter your address in this FEMA search to see whether you're in a flood-prone area. Check it out here.

Monitor flooding in your area here.

Road closures

The North Carolina Department of Transportation provides updates on road closures and accidents. Click here for the most updated information.

Storm damage

Click this link for damage reports after the storm passes through.

News director Beth Hutson can be reached at bhutson@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3533.

N.C. — The cooler air we saw Sunday eases up a bit heading into Monday. We'll go from 40s in the morning to 60s by the afternoon, which is seasonable for late October.

Forecast for this week

A large area of high pressure then anchors itself over the Eastern U.S. the rest of this week, meaning a warm-up is back in the forecast.

High temperatures Halloween will inch closer to 80 degrees again. That will make for one of the warmest Halloweens on record in the Triangle and in the Sandhills.

Trick-or-Treaters won't need jackets or umbrella, but you should carry a flashlight with you. There won't be much moonlight to guide you werewolves during the evening.

In fact, warmer-than-average weather is likely into early November, as a southwest flow continues to move into North Carolina.

We also expect drier-than-average weather to continue. October has been one of the driest months on record. RDU has only picked up 0.11" of rain all month.

7-day forecast for central NC

Hurricane season 2024 is not over

Hurricane season isn't over yet.

WRAL meteorologists are tracking a system with a 40% chance of developing over the next seven days. It's expected to develop in the southern Caribbean.

"There could be one last chance for the Caribbean to try and fire something up," Baglione explained. "Where it may go from there or what strength it is, that's way too early to say at this point."

The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season could see 17 to 25 named storms in the Atlantic basin, according to the NOAA forecast. The agency has never predicted a higher number of storms for the season.

The number of named storms is significantly higher than the long-term average and moderately higher than recent 30-year averages, according to Lian Xie, professor of marine, earth and atmospheric sciences at N.C. State.

In 2024, NOAA researchers predict:

The NOAA forecast is in line with earlier forecasts issued by North Carolina State and Colorado State universities.

A combination of a La Nina pattern and record warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean set up the conditions for storms to form, organize and strengthen.

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Hurricane Helene is barreling its way through Florida on Thursday and is expected to affect the Fayetteville area on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

If the system strengthens, the hurricane's effects have a probable path including Eastern North Carolina, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh on Thursday afternoon issued a wind advisory for Cumberland County from midnight Thursday through 6 p.m. Friday. Winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts of up to 45 mph are expected and should reach their peak by mid- to -late-morning Friday.

Cumberland County is also under a flood watch issued by the National Weather Service in Raleigh on Thursday afternoon. It's in effect until 6 p.m. Friday, and means that flash flooding could be possible because of excessive rainfall.

What does the potential tropical storm mean for Fayetteville?

Raleigh-based NWS meteorologist Nick Luchetti said the forecast track has the storm making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida on Thursday evening and will head up toward southwest Georgia by 1 a.m. Friday.

"Friday and it will start to move up into the Appalachians, northern Georgia, like up into the Smokies," Luchetti said. "It’ll curve to the west into the Tennessee Valley up through about 1 p.m. Friday.”

Luchetti said during the day and overnight Thursday should remain relatively quiet in Fayetteville. He said the main concern would be the weather at daybreak through the early afternoon Friday.

Schools remote:Cumberland County Schools to shift to remote learning due to Hurricane Helene

What do the latest models show for North Carolina and Fayetteville?

According to the National Hurricane Center’s five-day forecast, the storm will be parallel with the city of Fayetteville on Friday morning. Luchetti said the biggest concern will be the tropical moisture associated with the outer rain bands.

"We will have some heavier downpours moving through and given you’re in an urban area, those are typically prone to flooding. We could have some isolated flash flooding in and around the Fayetteville area,” Luchetti said. “We’ll see some gusty winds ... I think we’ll see anywhere from 15-25 mph sustained winds and then with higher gusts upward of 30 or 40 mph will be also possible.”

Luchetti said the city will receive a "broad brush" of 1-2 inches of rain. He warned Fayetteville residents to prepare for potential power outages and tornado warnings as the system passes.

Helpful links

Here are some important links to check power outages, road closures, storm damage and more.

Power outages

Check overall Cumberland County outages by clicking on this link.

Check Fayetteville PWC outages by clicking on this link.

Check Duke Energy outages by clicking on this link.

Check Lumbee River outages by clicking on this link.

Check South River EMC outages by clicking on this link.

Warnings and watches

Click this link to see the latest weather warnings and watches for Cumberland County.

Rainfall

See rainfall predictions in the Fayetteville area here.

Storm trackers

Track the storm here.

Check out the storm's "spaghetti models" here.

River levels

Check river levels, including the Cape Fear River, at this link.

Flooding

Enter your address in this FEMA search to see whether you're in a flood-prone area. Check it out here.

Monitor flooding in your area here.

Road closures

The North Carolina Department of Transportation provides updates on road closures and accidents. Click here for the most updated information.

Storm damage

Click this link for damage reports after the storm passes through.

Public safety reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at jpierre@gannett.com.

Editor's note: See Friday's story on Tropical Storm Helene here.

Hurricane Helene continues on a devastating collision course with the Florida Big Bend area late Thursday.

Fortunately for the Cape Fear region, a strong western steering pattern will prevent the storm from unleashing its wrath on our part of North Carolina. But the combination of high wind and tropical rainfall may cause havoc in the Foothills and mountains.

Locally, Fayetteville will likely see on-and-off showers into the weekend, with occasional breezy winds. Further south, toward the coast, a slim chance of severe weather, including quick spin-up tornadoes, can't be ruled out.

By late Friday, clouds will ease and the region will look at mild weather with a slight chance of afternoon rainfall.

Live hurricane updates:Helene reaches hurricane status ahead of landfall in Florida:

Here's the setup

Wednesday afternoon, Hurricane Helene was plowing into the Gulf of Mexico with near-ideal conditions for quick development. Expectations are for the storm to become a major hurricane, with winds topping 125 mph, before hitting the Big Bend area of Florida.

From there, a strong low-pressure system to the west will quickly draw Helene through Georgia into Tennessee rather than up into the Carolinas. However, the storm is a bit lop-sided, with much of the strongest wind and rain on the eastern side.

As such, and given the size of the storm, much of western and central North Carolina will see heavy rain and wind on Friday. That's especially bad news for areas to our north, which have already seen heavy rain this week. Tropical storm advisories are also posted along the coast up to Little River.

For Fayetteville and the region, Thursday should be dry, but muggy, with light scattered rainfall popping up in the afternoon. Highs of about 85 are likely. Overnight, as Helene approaches Florida, extreme outer bands will slide inland in southeastern North Carolina, moving north and west.

Rainfall should arrive in Fayetteville around sunrise, with a morning low of about 70. Clouds, rain and some gusts will linger through the morning, easing up in the afternoon. Since most local high schools moved their games to Thursday night, lingering showers shouldn't be an issue. It looks like Fayetteville will pick up between 1-2 inches of rain in that stretch, more to the west and south, less to the east.

The weekend

With all the tropical moisture hanging around, there's a slight chance of popcorn showers on Saturday, but things generally look dry with a high in the low to mid-80s. Sunday looks similar, perhaps a couple of degrees cooler with afternoon showers popping up.

Down the road

Monday should be generally sunny and mild with highs in Fayetteville of about 80. There's also a chance of afternoon showers.

The rest of the week looks seasonal as we head into October. Highs will be about 80 in Fayetteville with lows in the upper 60s. Again, lingering moisture may lead to scattered showers, but nothing serious.

In the tropics

After Helene, a deep gyre pattern persists in the Gulf and Caribbean. This is typical for the late hurricane season, but fast-forming storms can pop up quickly. Stay tuned!

Got a weather question? Chick Jacobs can be reached at ncweathound@gmail.com or NCWeatherhound on X/Twitter..

What is the best internet provider in Fayetteville?

Metronet is the best internet service provider in Fayetteville. We chose it for its local fiber coverage, speed variety and low pricing. Among Metronet's plan selection is the cheapest internet plan in Fayetteville at $30 per month for speeds up to 100 megabits per second, as well as the fastest speed, up to 5,000Mbps, starting at $110 monthly.

Still a relatively new internet provider in the Fayetteville area, Metronet's availability is limited to less than half the city's addresses. In areas where Metronet is unavailable, Fayetteville residents can rely on Spectrum and Brightspeed (operating on networks formerly owned by CenturyLink) for home internet service.

Between Metronet, Spectrum and Brightspeed, living in Fayetteville may present a choice of multiple ISPs. Check out wireless internet service from T-Mobile Home Internet and Verizon 5G Home Internet for more home broadband options. Both providers offer decent speeds for the price, free equipment, unlimited data and a special mobile bundle discount.

Best internet in Fayetteville, North Carolina

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

How to find internet deals and promotions in Fayetteville

The best internet deals and top promotions in Fayetteville depend on the discounts available during that period. Most deals are short-lived, but we look frequently for the latest offers.

Take our quiz

How Fast Should Your Home Internet Be?

Answer 3 easy questions to discover our recommended speed for your household.

Fayetteville internet providers, such as Metronet, may offer lower introductory pricing or promotional gift cards for a limited time. Others, including Spectrum and Brightspeed, run the same standard pricing year-round.

For a more extensive list of promos, check out our guide on the best internet deals.

Source: CNET analysis of provider data.

What’s a good internet speed?

Most internet connection plans can now handle basic productivity and communication tasks. If you're looking for an internet plan that can accommodate videoconferencing, streaming video or gaming, you'll have a better experience with a more robust connection. Here's an overview of the recommended minimum download speeds for various applications, according to the Federal Communications Commission. Note that these are only guidelines and that internet speed, service and performance vary by connection type, provider and address.

For more information, refer to our guide on how much internet speed you really need.

How CNET chose the best internet providers in Fayetteville

Internet service providers are numerous and regional. Unlike the latest smartphone, laptop, router or kitchen tool, it’s impractical to personally test every ISP in a given city. What’s our approach? We start by researching the pricing, availability and speed information, drawing on our own historical ISP data, the provider sites and mapping information from the Federal Communications Commission at FCC.gov.

It doesn’t end there. We go to the FCC’s website to check our data and ensure we consider every ISP that provides service in an area. We also input local addresses on provider websites to find specific options for residents. We look at sources, including the American Customer Satisfaction Index and J.D. Power, to evaluate how happy customers are with an ISP’s service. ISP plans and prices are subject to frequent changes; all information provided is accurate as of publication.

Once we have this localized information, we ask three main questions:

The answer to those questions is often layered and complex, but the providers who come closest to “yes” on all three are the ones we recommend. When selecting the cheapest internet service, we look for the plans with the lowest monthly fee, although we also factor in things like price increases, equipment fees and contracts. Choosing the fastest internet service is relatively straightforward. We look at advertised upload and download speeds and consider real-world speed data from sources like Ookla and FCC reports.

To explore our process in more depth, visit our how we test ISPs page.