Tropical Storm Debby is slowly passing through North Carolina, causing flooding and tornadoes

Tropical Storm Debby slowly passed through North Carolina Thursday, spinning off deadly tornadoes and creating flash floods throughout the state.

The latest: Early Thursday morning, a tornado struck the Wilson County community of Lucama, leveling a house, killing one man and destroying the roof of a middle school, ABC11 reported . It was one of three reported tornadoes, according to the Associated Press.

• 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.

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