ABC11 Eyewitness News - Eyewitness News at Noon - June 18, 2026

Episode Date: June 18, 2026

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Right now at noon, a dual weather threat. We are tracking dangerous heat and the potential for damaging storms. Peter Rolls is Steve Stewart in the First Alert Forecast Center, timing out the risk. And there's also an update on the drought, and it is not good news. Why first responders are sounding the alarm. And we're counting down to Saturday's big celebration for the Carolina Hurricanes. It could be the biggest event at Raleigh's history, and we are helping you get prepared. Right now, live coverage from your local news leader. Today's top stories you need to know and your first alert forecast.

Here's what's happening where you live. This is ABC 11. I Witness News. Danger's heat is in the forecast and potentially strong storms this afternoon. That's why we made it a first alert day. Let's go to be yourologist Steve Stewart with the update from the first alert forecast center. Hey, Steve. You're right guys. Yeah. Hi. A lot of things going on right now with the heat, humidity and of course the storm risk.

If we're lucky though, we cut down on severe weather and just get really good soaking rain in spots. So that's a definite possibility. A lot of water available in the air right now. The water vapor is high. So here's that level two risk from the triangle northward, level one elsewhere for later today and especially tonight. And the flooding risk as well. Some of the downpours that will have overnight tonight could cause some minor flooding concerns. And of course, the heat advisory for everyone except person in Mecklenburg County in Virginia.

But still, we're going to have those fields like temperatures for hours. today over 100 degrees. It's later today. We'll start seeing some storms coming in from the north. We might make it to 99 today. If we do at RDU, that would be yet another record. And then later on tonight, it's more widespread, scattered showers and thunderstorms will be around. And a few of those could be on the strong side with some gusty winds. We'll be watching for that. Yesterday hit 94. Today's record is 98. So again, we could tie or break that today. And still amazing that RDU has had nothing in the rain gauge as far as measurable rain so far this month. So we have a front to the north. We have some thunderstorms out ahead of it coming in from the north. And then here's the remnants of Arthur now. And that moisture is going to be lifting our way for later on tonight and early tomorrow morning. Couple storms right now, not a lot of lightning, but it's a heavier downpour. We'll see if that can make it into our northern counties here within the next hour and a half.

How much moisture is in the air? There's a lot. Precipitable water is what we talk about when we show you this graphic. And this is anywhere from two and a half to three inches. That means the atmosphere is loaded with moisture. So if we can tap into that, there is potential here. We could really get some heavy beneficial rain. 90 degrees right now in North Hills with a breeze at 18 miles an hour.

Do point about 70. Feels like numbers are still below criteria at this hour all in those mid 90s. But still, it's hot. That breeze does take the edge off. I will say that. Feels like 97 as you're walking in the D-PAC tonight to see Jill Scott about 88 by the time you're heading on home. Hey, how does the parade look for the canes? Oh, it's looking good. More on that coming up in the 70 forecast.

Right, Steve, thank you. And now in the dangerous heat is returning today. It feels like temps soar into the triple digits. And it comes as we get an update on the drought conditions. They're getting worse across the triangle. Sean Coffey is here with insight from a fire official about the extreme conditions from downtown Raleigh. Hey, Sean. A fire officials are urging people to take this heat seriously before they find themselves in a potentially dangerous situation.

It comes as the city's water department works to navigate this really. tricky combination of heat and drought. According to the latest drought monitor update in North Carolina, nearly 30% of Wake County is now in a state of exceptional drought, as is nearly all of Durham County. For now, stage one water restrictions remain in place in Raleigh, but the city manager said this week that water usage climbed the first two weeks of June with the rising temperatures

and warned the city could move to stage two restrictions if that trend continues. Meantime, Raleigh fire officials have their own concerns about how the extreme conditions are impacting their firefighters, as they have no choice but to dedicate more engines to each fire to give their people longer breaks. Today they're urging people in the triangle to take common sense precautions. Do you work early or late when it's cooler? Wear loose clothing, wear light-colored clothing.

Know the signs for heat exhaustion, heat stroke, things like that. Check on, like I said, check on your neighbors, check on the elderly. But it comes down to preparing. You know your body. You need to prepare early by becoming hydrated early. once you get past the point of no return, it's hard to overcome. As far as water restrictions go, Durham has already moved to stage two water restrictions. Here in Raleigh, Falls Lake, our primary water supply, would need to fall to about 45% for that to happen.

But at this point, Raleigh water officials say everything's on the table. In Raleigh, Sean Coffey, ABC 11, eyewitness news. Sean, thank you. We have the latest update on the drought gripping North Carolina. It is not good news. The extreme and exceptional drought expands. this week and much of the state is reporting stream flows near record low levels. Bottom line, we are in desperate need of rain. Ibit news is committed to keeping you safe during this dangerous

weather. You can track today's heat and storm risk. On the free ABC 11 mobile app, we'll send you all the watches, the warnings, the headlines directly to your devices. And you can check the first alert Doppler net and the 70 forecast anytime. And of course, we are counting down to Saturday's big parade celebration for the Carolina hurricanes. Thousands, tens of thousands are expected in downtown Raleigh. Here is a look at the parade. route. It kicks off at 11 in the morning Saturday at the corner of Hillsborough and St. Mary Street and then it heads east. The parade passes the state capital and goes down Fayetteville Street, right past the eyewitness News Center there, ending at Davie Street. And then after the parade,

a rally will happen at City Hall Plaza. The city of Raleigh is offering free parking at the City Hall, Wilmington Street Station, Moore Square, Cabrass and City Center parking decks. A lot of planning going into this. Elaine Athens is live in downtown rally with more details. Elena, this is expected to be the largest event in Raleigh's history. Yeah, the city said yesterday upwards of 100,000 people are expected to come to downtown Raleigh for this parade. And there is a gear up right now. I'm on City Plaza and at this business here, right where that rally is going to be held. You can see that there's an artist right now putting up a mural. This is at Velose Italian market.

So that works started around 9 this morning. It should be hopefully wrapping up this afternoon. but this is just one way that people are starting the celebration and getting ready for that big parade. Shop Local Raleigh is partnering with the Carolina Hurricanes to pull off this parade. And eyewitness news now has an idea what fans can expect. I'm being told the parade will last 45 minutes to an hour. There will be floats helping to rev up the crowd as the Cains and that Stanley Cup make its way through city streets. Shop local won't say how many floats will be a part of the parade.

The canes are keeping that information confidential. The parade will end at Fayetteville and Davies Streets, and a street festival will be set up by that intersection. There will be about 30 food trucks set up where Caneis can grab something to eat or drink to toast the team. There will be a break for fans to soak it all in, and then the canes will head to City Plaza for a rally. Now, this area will be secured, and only certain people will be granted access,

but everyone should be able to get a look at the action. We'll have jumbo-trons along Fayetteville Street so that that way you can still experience what's happening in the plaza, even if you can't get a spot directly down there. So we'll take you back live along Fayetteville Street in City Plaza where again an artist right now putting up a mural outside one of the businesses here where thousands will be gathering Saturday morning. I did ask if there's going to be a bag policy. I'm being told that this is an open public street.

So there will be no restrictions on what bags you can bring into this area. However, weapons are not allowed. Live in downtown Raleigh, Elena Athens, ABC 11, I witness news. It is going to be lit in downtown Raleigh on Saturday and a lot of fun. Elena, thanks. And I would as soon as we'll bring you every moment of the celebration. Tune into our celebrating the Cups special. It gets started at 11 o'clock Saturday morning on ABC 11 Disney Plus or wherever you stream.

And happening now a big celebration in New York City. Live pictures from Manhattan where a ticker take parade is happening for the New York Knicks, The team winning its first NBA championship in 53 years, a crowd of over a million people lining up to celebrate the Knicks through the streets. 10,000 officers are also patrolling the route. Look at that. This is the largest number of police officers ever assigned to a planned event. Well, breaking news at noon, police arrested driver accused of hit and run involving two people on bicycles in Orange County. Authorities picked up Jorge Salvador Vasquez Castillo in Durham overnight. He's charged with felony hit and run. driving without a license, no insurance, and a number of other charges related to having an unsafe vehicle. Both cyclists involved suffered serious injuries. One is still in the hospital.

Just in Chopper 11 over a crash on I-40. This is in Johnston County. This is near the Cleveland Road exit. The three left lanes on I-40 are closed. So be aware of that if you're going to be in this area. Also, new photos this afternoon of a serious crash involving a dump truck and a tanker crash. Chopper 11 showing you the scene on Brogden Road in Smithfield. If you're planning to travel to this area, you may want to consider a detour. And we are learning more about a deadly motorcycle crash in Raleigh this morning. A section of Ebenezer Church Road was closed for hours after the rider lost control and slammed into a fence. Police now say 45-year-old Thomas Wynn died in this crash, and we're told speed is a factor.

New at noon gas prices falling below $4 a gallon for the first time since March. According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of unleaded is 399. In North Carolina, we're seeing prices around 361 a gallon. And more good economic news, the number of Americans applying for unemployment dropped as layoffs remained in the same historically low range of recent years. Applications for unemployment benefits in the weekend in June 13th dropped by 4,000 down to 226,000. Weekly filings for unemployment benefits are considered a real-time indicator of the health of the job market. Well, this Sunday is Father's Day. And if you're still searching for something for dear old dad, we've got some ideas that are money smart.

Also coming up a big day for the Obamas as the new Obama Presidential Center opens in Chicago. Eyewitness News. We are Local News Weeknights 4 to 630 and 11. Former President Joe Biden, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush are all expected to attend the grand opening of the Obama Presidential Center. The massive 19-acre museum is located in Chicago's historic Jackson Park. It offers a public library, garden, basketball court, and more. It also showcases artifacts and memorabilia from Barack Obama's historic presidency. He and former first lady, Michelle Obama, sat down with Good Morning America's Robin Roberts to talk about how they hope to inspire. What I'm hoping is that they would see a couple of people who weren't.

born into fancy circumstances. But we're really lucky to have people who love them. And we're really lucky to be born into a country at a time when the essential creed of this country that we're all worthy of dignity and respect and opportunity. That that that idea was was blossoming. Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen, John Legend, and others are expected to perform at the museum's

grand opening. It officially opens to the public tomorrow for Juneteenth. Well, the countdown is on to Father's Day. That's right, and we're helping you get ready with some money-saving deals. And America's favorite fast food, the restaurant chain dethroning Chick-fil-A. Let's head north to the Big Apple for a live look at this giant New York Knicks Parade. of champions. It's a ticker tape parade, Manhattan line, with a million fans is what the estimate is, celebrating the next first NBA championship in 53 years. 10,000 police officers controlling that route, bands, ticker tape, and the weather's holding off right now, too, so that's good news

there as they celebrate in New York. Well, this Father's Day, you don't need to spend big money to make Dad feel special. We're talking money-smart celebrations, focused on experiences with Dad, money you spend. First, you could skip the pricey steakhouse brunch instead fire up the grill at home. Of course, you'll spend a fraction of restaurant costs and many dads actually prefer it. Bundle that with a family game tournament or movie marathon. You've got a full day of entertainment for under 50 bucks. And love the outdoors, you can hit your local municipal golf course instead of a country club. Browns often run half the price. No golfers in the family. Free options like hiking, fishing at the lake or a picnic in the park are equally meaningful and fun. And if you want to do something special, you can check Groupon for discounted activities in your area.

Everything from go-kart racing to brewery tours. And here's a money-saver, skip the gift card and create homemade coupons instead. And free breakfast in bed, a car wash movie night of his choice for those gift cards are nice. Kids can make them. Most dads treasure them more than store-bought gifts. Anyway, another way to stay money-smart is to put the ABC11 price tracker to work for you. Go to ABC11.com. Search price tracker.

Type in your area. groceries, housing, or utilities to see how the cost of living has changed for households like yours. Well, keeping an eye on the economy, no change to interest rates right now from the Fed, but they could be moving later this year. After the first meeting with the new Fed chairman, Kevin Warsh, almost half of the central bank's policymakers said that they would support a rate hike to fight inflation. Last year, while being considered for the Fed's top job, were supported President Trump's push for rate cuts. So we will have to stand by and wait and see news from the Fed. Well, despite rising inflation and low-consumer sentiment, Americans are not being

frugal when it comes to spending. According to the Commerce Department, retail sales rose 0.9% in May. That was well above what economists had predicted and represents the fourth consecutive monthly increase. Retail spending was up across nearly every category last month. It rose the most at gas stations reflecting higher prices. We'll move over Chick-fil-A. There's a new favorite fast food chain in the United States. the American customer satisfaction index saying that Jersey Mikes has dethrone the chicken giant, ending an 11-year run at the top. The report noting Jersey Mikes was recognized for its freshness, food variety, and value, all while opening hundreds of new locations. They're actually really pretty close together. You know what I mean? I know. When you get to dethrone chick filet,

you're going to crow about it, aren't you? Yes. Absolutely. I would. Absolutely. All right. Somebody's got a Father's Day. They're looking forward to this Sunday. It's going to be nice to get outside of the family? Maybe grill out. It's going to be too hot. It'll be hot, but not terribly humid. So yeah, I mean, I think it's going to be a decent day. Yeah, depending on, you know, what your plans are. Yeah. Yeah. Outside running, maybe not. Listen, we have a lot to talk about, and there's potential here. We're really hoping that we're going to be getting some decent rain in here, folks, and every time it looks promising and then it kind of pulls back when you're in a drought like this, this one isn't pulling back at this point

in time. So fingers crossed, this holds that we're going to get some decent rain around here. Now there's a risk for some strong storms later today and tonight, especially up in our northern counties. The heat's with us today. That wind that we're dealing with takes the edge off. So maybe not terrible out there. It's really tomorrow morning. Your morning commute could be rather wet, especially in it around the triangle with some rounds of rain and it could be heavy at times. How does a parade look for the canes? Oh, it's looking fantastic. We're going to have really nice weather with lower humidity. Look at the level two risks from the triangle northward, a level one to the south. This is for later today and tonight. with some of the heavier downpours, we could get some minor flooding, especially with this really hard ground because a drought ground doesn't allow the water infiltrate the soil very well and a heat advisory on top of everything else. So a lot going on. You see a front to the north out ahead of it. We got some bands of showers coming in. And then here's the remnants of Arthur, which is going to be moving up here in our direction. And that'll bring all that tropical rain with it. Got some thunder going on now. Look at all the lightning strikes. So this one is getting a little bit stronger as it's approaching Mecklenburg. County, Virginia. We'll see if that makes it into our northern counties. This is the area that

needs the rain the most and there's potential here. This was last week's drought monitor. Look at the new one. Yeah, the expansion now of the extreme and exceptional drought, including Wake Forest, just south of Lewisburg, there's Falls Lake. This entire area here is the watershed of Falls Lake. And again, there's potential. Some guidance says that area could get some heavy rain, which would help out because we're near six feet below full pool now out there at Falls Lake just incredibly low. Take this with a grain of salt, but the weather prediction center does have with this event widespread three quarters of an inch to an inch of rain across the area with some areas potentially picking up a little bit more

that would put over an inch of rain. So fingers crossed that holes. Now later today into this evening we'll get a few storms that could be strong. That'll move on out. We'll be quiet for a while but late tonight into early tomorrow morning. We'll start getting some rounds of rain coming in. Take this with a grain of salt as far as the position and the intensity here. But we think tomorrow morning there's potential we can have some widespread rain. Look at Silas City. That's right across the watershed there of Falls Lake with some heavier downpours. By midday the brunt of this is going to be out of here and then maybe left over with a spotty light showers.

The front finally moves on through behind that system. 90 in the North Hills right now the breeze takes the edge off though. Feels like 95 with a new point of 70. Feels like 100 right now down in Clinton, but most areas feels like temperatures in those mid-90s, which is below advisory criteria. So out of the Bulls game tonight, it'll be hot. Mid-90s around the start time, mid-80s when you head home, and there could be an isolated shower storm during that time. Parade day looks great, 90 degrees, some high clouds around, and then 95 as we go into Sunday, we're actually hoping we can tap into some of this moisture on Monday, bringing yet more scattered showers and thunderstorms around. 90s today if we hit 99, that's a record high, really hot with some late day storms from north, pushing in mainly on northern counties.

Then overnight, everyone should have some rain and some thunder and a bit breezy as well. First alert seven day. Another first alert day tomorrow for this rain and storms mainly in the morning. Quaylin will keep you update on that tomorrow morning. Saturday looks great where you got lower humidity. So if you're heading out to the parade to celebrate with the canes, it's going to be fantastic for that. Sunday about 95 on Father's Day. Then as we go into next week, more of a summer pattern after Monday storms, just pop up showers and thunderstorms in the afternoons.

Barbara? All right, Steve. Thank you. The University of North Carolina Chase in a championship. We have an update from Omaha ahead. And they are the hidden heroes of the Carolina Hurricane Stanley Cup championship. Hear from the crew that puts in all that hard work cleaning the ice at every home game. UNC baseball will play for a championship.

The Diamond Heels advancing to the College World Series final after taking down Westfield. Virginia. Again, the finals for 12 to 7. Carolina will play Oklahoma in a best of three series. First game is Saturday night. And we're going to introduce you to a different set of stars on the ice. They don't wear jerseys or sweaters and they're called in hockey and they don't have sticks either. Yeah, they do wear ice skates, though. It's the Carolina Hurricanes ice crew. If you have been to a hockey game, you've likely seen them. They're dressed in all black. They're windbreakers. They step onto the ice to clear build up. from the fast-paced action. It's a 20-person team behind the scene who prepares the ice and the rank for game day, ensuring players have the best possible surface. They lace up their skates, shovel, excess ice, and then they drive the Zamboony, the Olympia to resurface the ice. Some of the action goes down during the intermissions, the timeouts, or commercial breaks. And they also arrive three and a half hours before puck drops. We met some of the long serving ice crew members who say the work is not glamorous, but it's certainly worth it.

really is to provide the best possible playing surface that we can for the players and the officials and to try to help them do the ultimate, you know, the best they can do. When the playoffs get here, it's just bonkers. I mean, it's it goes up exponentially and we get to participate in that from a work perspective, but also as a fan and it's just a lot of fun. And most members of the ice crew work part time and in return to their regular jobs in the off season. Some serve in the military. Another one's a professor at NC State.

We'll be right back.