WRAL Doc Podcast

All season the WRAL Doc Podcast has explored Wicked Weather - telling stories of some of the fiercest storms ever to strike North Carolina. But as the season wraps up, it's worth diverting our eyes from the past to look toward the future. Are storms getting worse? How is forecasting keeping pace? How can we prepare? This week, experts in the field help us answer these questions and more as we look at what's next in Wicked Weather. This episode features Kieran Bhatia, Greg Fishel, Jay Barnes, Elizabeth Gardner and Steve Abbott. Hosted by Cliff Bumgardner

For many, when you say the word "Hurricane," Fran is what comes to mind. One of the deadliest and most costly storms in North Carolina history, Fran came ashore as a category three hurricane in September 1996, dropping 19 inches of rain on the state and causing destruction from the coast to the capitol. This week, the WRAL Doc Podcast looks back at the stories and legacy the storm left behind. This episode features: Greg Fishel, Jim Payne, Bill Leslie, Debra Morgan, Brett Baier, Jay Barnes, David Crabtree, Renee McCoy, Amanda Lamb, Clay Johnson, Jay Jennings, Cliff Bumgardner and Francis Lai.

Throughout this season, the WRAL Doc Podcast has talked about the destruction that follows Wicked Weather and the impact a single storm can have. But what happens when it isn't just one storm, but two separate weather events mere weeks apart, setting the stage for unprecedented destruction? That's the situation surrounding one of the most infamous and talked-about hurricanes in North Carolina history: Floyd. This week, we look back at the record-breaking storm and how changes in flood mapping hope to prevent such a disaster from ever happening again. This episode features appearances by Greg Fishel, Jeff Orrock, Bill Leslie, Jimmy Tickel, Joe Rudek, Scott Stephens, Sam Knight, Delia Perkins, John Dorman, Mark Brown and Fred Turnage.

While North Carolina is known for its tumultuous relationship with hurricanes, there's another, even faster type of wicked weather we encounter more often than you might think: Tornadoes. Swift, deadly and difficult to predict, the terrifying funnels have had a destructive impact on our state and frustrated meteorologists for decades. In this episode, the WRAL Doc Podcast examines personal stories from some of the deadliest tornados of the past and looks to the future as advancements in technology and forecasting a change the way we think about tornadoes and how to save lives.

North Carolina has a long history with Wicked Weather, but of all the landmark storms to befall the state, perhaps none is more infamous than Hazel. The first and only category four hurricane ever to make landfall in the state, Hazel came ashore in October of 1954 and caused levels of destruction still talked about today. In this episode, the WRAL Doc podcast looks back at the legendary superstorm, three incredible first-person survival stories, and the legacy the storm left behind.

This season the WRAL Doc Podcast is all about Wicked Weather, covering the storms that have made history in North Carolina. But before we take a look back, we thought it was important to cover some recent developments in the science of severe weather. The National Climate Assessment was released in November to much discussion, but what does the report really mean? How is our climate changing, and how does that affect our weather? Will the storms and hurricanes we're talking about get worse? In this episode, host Cliff Bumgardner sits down with WRAL-TV Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel to discuss all of this and more.

Season 1 of the WRAL Doc Podcast focuses on the unpredictable world of weather, telling the stories of four of the most devastating storms to ever hit North Carolina -- hurricanes Hazel, Floyd, Fran and Florence. "Wicked Weather" debuts Nov. 28, 2018.

Hurricane Florence is the most recent chapter in North Carolina's long, destructive history with Wicked Weather. But when the storm hits, who breaks the news? This episode of the WRAL Doc Podcast takes you inside WRAL's 75 hours of continuous coverage, profiling the men and women who worked around the clock and against Mother Nature to get the word out and keep people safe as the hurricane raged on.

Michael Mack, who always wanted to be a priest, is abused by his Catholic priest in Brevard at age 11.

Michael Mack's questions about what happened to him and why lead him on a journey for answers that he hopes he'll find in a conversation with his molester.

Michael Mack's journey leads him to answers but not to the questions he was asking.

Michael Mack discovers that the conversations he needed to have were with a far bigger audience than just his molester.