Heavy rain from passing storms forced thousands of commuters heading east and west to find a way around the floods when Interstate 85/40 shut down Thursday morning in Orange County.
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Flash flooding and fallen limbs were also being reported in Chapel Hill around 9 a.m.
The Orange Rural Fire Department responded to multiple fallen trees, flooded roads and cars trapped in swift water before 6:30 a.m. Thursday near Hillsborough.
The interstate between Hillsborough and Efland, near the I-85/40 split, was shut down to westbound traffic, fire and N.C. Department of Transportation officials said.
NCDOT also reported multiple crashes in the westbound lane between Exit 259 and Exit 261. Drivers were being urged to detour onto Old N.C. 86 North and drive north toward Hillsborough to get back on I-85 South to reach I-40 West.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office had already responded to flooded roads, power outages, downed trees and wrecked vehicles by 9 a.m., spokeswoman Alicia Stemper said.
A motorcyclist crashed around 3 a.m. Thursday after hitting floodwaters on I-85 South, and a tractor-trailer truck flipped on I-40 East near Old N.C. 86 during the morning commute, she said. At 9:30 a.m., traffic remained snarled from the flipped truck, she said.
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An on-duty lieutenant said “many of the problems are people simply driving too fast for conditions,” Stemper said. “It goes back to the adage ‘just because you can [drive fast] does not mean you should.’”
In Hillsborough, a town spokesperson said flooding was reported on Orange Grove Road, “one of our known flood spots in town.” Traffic was also backed up more than normal in the north and southbound lanes of Churton Street through downtown, town spokesperson JC Leser-McMinn said.
A flood watch remained in effect for the Triangle and central North Carolina as storms were expected to travel across the state throughout the day. Up to 6 inches of rain is expected, with strong to severe storms, some “with gusty winds or even a brief tornado,” the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office reported.
No major issues were reported overnight in Chapel Hill, but flash flooding shut down East Franklin Street to one lane near Park Place, just northeast of downtown. Ephesus Church Road was also down to one lane near Colony Woods Drive due to a branch on a utility line, according to a town spokesman.
Some water was also ponding on roads in Carrboro because of clogged stormwater inlets, town public works staff reported. Crews were out clearing drains and planned to be out checking on trouble spots along streets and creeks throughout the day, town spokeswoman Catherine Lazorko said.
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This story was originally published July 23, 2026 at 9:29 AM.