Storms swept through Northwest North Carolina yesterday afternoon and last night bringing strong winds, heavy rain and hail to some parts of the region.
Penny-size hail was reported west of Sparta in Alleghany County shortly before 4 p.m.
Area law-enforcement officials were reporting no major problems resulting from yesterday's storms, which were caused by a cold front pushing through the state.
National Weather Service forecasters are calling for a slight chance of more showers or thunderstorms today.
Conditions are expected to be clear and sunny by Tuesday and stay that way through Thursday. Afternoon high temperatures of near 84 are forecast for today and Tuesday, 86 on Wednesday and 90 on Thursday.
8 firefighters in Caldwell treated after lightning hit
LENOIR -- Eight members of a crew fighting a North Carolina wildfire were taken to a hospital because of a lightning strike in a remote part of Caldwell County, officials said yesterday.
The firefighters were taking a water break Saturday afternoon when the lightning struck nearby and apparently traveled through the ground, said Rusty Dellinger, a Caldwell County ranger with the N.C. Forest Service.
The workers were about an hour from their own vehicles, so responders used all-terrain vehicles to reach them in the remote and rugged terrain.
Dellinger said that six of the firefighters remained under observation at Caldwell Memorial Hospital yesterday. One had been released. An eighth was transferred to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte.
"Everybody's in good condition," he said.
The firefighters had been working to improve containment lines around a small wildfire. Dellinger said that there were no signs of lightning before the bolt struck.
Two neighborhoods added to U.S. historical register
The Sunnyside-Central Terrace and the Centerville Historic District in Winston-Salem have been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sunnyside-Central Terrace district is bounded generally by Junia, Haled and Monmouth streets to the north, Glendale Street to the east, Main Street on the west and Goldfloss and Brookline streets on the south.
The Centerville district is bounded by Waughtown, Vargrave, Haled and Chapel streets.
Owners of qualifying properties can receive tax credits on restoration to their property if the work is done to historic preservation standards.
Researchers are studying Canada geese near PTI
GREENSBORO -- Researchers at N.C. State University are trying to track hundreds of Canada geese to learn more about the birds and why they're spending more time hanging around this state.
The study is paid for by the Federal Aviation Administration and the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Lead researcher Liz Rutledge will look for patterns in geese behavior to understand why they're here and why they spend time around such dangerous places as airports.
The two-year project is focused on the area around Piedmont Triad International Airport.
Rutledge and her team are asking Triad residents to help track 770 geese wearing bands around their necks and enter data about them on a Web site. They will later fit another 15 geese with satellite tracking collars to see where the birds go.
John Weller, a wildlife biologist based at Piedmont Triad International Airport who is helping Rutledge with her research, said that the goose population has lost its age-old migratory pattern. That's causing problems because their numbers are swelling near airports across the region.
Deaths of 2 sisters found in car ‘tragic accident'
MANNS HARBOR -- Two young sisters who died after they were found in a hot car apparently climbed into the vehicle but were unable to get out, authorities said.
The two toddlers were reported missing Friday afternoon. A deputy found the children about 30 minutes later in the back seat of a neighbor's vehicle. The 18-month-old died shortly after the incident, and the 2-year-old died early Saturday.
"It just appears to be a very tragic accident," Dare County Sheriff's Lt. Bill Godley said. "Everybody that was involved in this was touched."
Deputies have refused to release the names of the children. They are continuing to investigate the incident.
Authorities said that the girls were playing outside with their older brother when they disappeared. The boy is 4 and was unable to tell anyone where his sisters had gone.
Temperatures in the area were about 90 degrees at the time.
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