In 2024, North Carolina experienced its worst year ever when it came to extreme weather. The Tar Heel State suffered intense devastation that included agricultural droughts and massive storms, like Hurricane Helene and Tropical Storm Debbie.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Hurricane Helene caused the worst flooding to ever hit North Carolina, surpassing the previous worst event from 1916. And while there are still areas of the state recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, a fresh wave of storms is causing serious damage in 2026.
Raleigh homeowners are cleaning up from another storm that saw trees come down in Wake County, blocking roadways and even destroying property, according to local ABC News station WTVD 11.
And as the storm clouds cleared and people were able to get out and assess the damage, local officials warned that the risk wasn’t over. That’s because days of flooding rains may have caused some root systems to weaken, increasing the risk of additional post-storm damage due to falling trees. This isn’t a situation that is isolated to North Carolina, making it important for homeowners everywhere to learn about how intense storms can cause hidden dangers that don’t surface until after the skies have cleared.
Waterlogged Roots Make Falling Trees a Deadly Possibility
WTVD 11 reports that massive oak trees fell down in northern Wake County during the July 23, 2026 storms. That includes trees in one neighborhood that severely damaged one man’s home. “It has taken down fascia boards, gutters,” Ray Salerno told reporters. “It’s basically a work in progress.”
Firefighters from the Northern Wake Fire Department had to come out and help Salerno with the damage, covering part of the roof with a tarp to help stop the rain from getting in.
“It’s hard to keep your lunch down when you’re looking at something like this,” Salerno continued. “But there’s not a whole lot I can do. It is what it is. It could have been worse. We could have been injured.”
Storm Damage Can Continue After the Storm Ends
Local officials warned residents to be on the lookout for signs of weakness in the trees around their homes in a Facebook post shared to the Northern Wake Fire Department page. They wrote that days of rain can cause soil to become waterlogged, which can weaken roots, causing trees to fall.
According to the Metropolitan Forestry Service, this issue isn’t limited to North Carolina. Trees can fall well after heavy wind and rain due to something called the drought-deluge cycle, which puts stress on the root systems and soil structure of a tree, increasing the likelihood that it will fall.
If you’re looking for ways to tell if the trees around your home are in danger of falling, the forestry group says that you’ll want to keep an eye out for changes in the way your trees are leaning after rain. Additionally, visible movement in the soil around the tree’s roots, dead or dying leaves in the upper parts of your tree’s leaf canopy, and fungal growth that appears around the root base are all red flags.
While these signs don’t mean that a fall is imminent, they are a sign that something is changing with your tree, and it may be worth calling out an expert to have it checked before tragedy strikes.