Tropical Storm Debby soaks North Carolina and spins off tornadoes

• The National Weather Service warned that tornadoes could form Thursday in parts of eastern North Carolina — especially in the Coastal Plain — and it placed most of central North Carolina under a flash flood warning throughout the day.
• More than 50,000 households across the state were without power as of 5pm Thursday because of the storm, according to Duke Energy.
• Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters while in Kinston that he has activated the National Guard and swift water rescue teams across the state to help with areas that could flood.
• The N.C. Department of Transportation reported dozens of roads have closed due to flooding across central North Carolina. You can find a map of the closures here.

What's next: The National Hurricane Center says Debby's center should pass through central North Carolina this evening, and enter into Virginia on Friday.

• Heavy rain is expected to continue throughout Thursday and into Friday before sunny conditions arrive on Saturday.
• Major flooding is anticipated at many rivers across the state, including the Lumber River at Lumberton, Little Pee Dee River, and Black River in eastern North Carolina, WHQR reported.
• In the central part of the state, the Haw and Neuse rivers were expected to reach major flood stages on Friday, according to the National Weather Service's Raleigh office.

Editor's note: This is a developing story and has been updated.