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Severe WeatherVersion 4

Robeson, Bladen and Columbus Among Carolina Counties Under Conflicting Heat Alerts

Outlets covering Robeson, Bladen, Columbus and neighboring Carolina counties disagree on whether a heat advisory, warning or watch is in force, and on when it runs.

4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterFirst reported Aug 15, 2026, 10:08 a.m. ETUpdated Aug 18, 2026, 10:55 p.m. ET
Multiple weather alerts have been reported across regions including Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Inland Pender, Coastal Pender, Inland New Hanover, Coastal New Hanover, Inland Brunswick, Coastal Brunswick, Marlboro, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Coastal Horry, Inland Georgetown, Coastal Georgetown, Central Horry, Northern Horry, Sandhills, and Bladen County. Reporting outlets disagree on the alert levels: abc11.com, wgni.com, and wwqq101.com reported an ; wgni.com and wwqq101.com reported a ; and wwqq101.com and wgni.com reported a . For hazard designations, abc11.com, wwqq101.com, and wgni.com reported a , while wwqq101.com reported an . Reported start and end times conflict across outlets. Outlets wgni.com and wwqq101.com reported start times ranging from 11:00 a.m. EDT on August 15, 2026, to 11:00 a.m. EDT on August 19, 2026. Reported expiration times from wgni.com and wwqq101.com range from 8:00 p.m. EDT on August 15, 2026, to 8:00 p.m. EDT on August 19, 2026. Expected heat index values vary by source. According to abc11.com, a is in effect for the Sandhills, where heat index values are expected to reach 103 to 108. Outlets wgni.com and wwqq101.com reported heat index values ranging between up to 108 and up to 114, expected or possible depending on the specific alert type, with brief locally higher values possible. On potential impacts, wgni.com and wwqq101.com reported that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses and that Precautionary measures reported by wgni.com and wwqq101.com advise staying in air-conditioned environments, drinking plenty of fluids, staying out of the sun, checking up on relatives and neighbors, wearing lightweight and loose fitting clothing, limiting strenuous activities to early morning or evening, taking rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments as recommended by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and calling 9 1 1 for heat stroke, which those outlets describe as an emergency. Outlet abc11.com advised that anyone spending time outdoors stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 15, 2026, 8:55 p.m. ET

    Heat Advisory Issued Across Portions of North and South Carolina

    A Heat Advisory has been issued for regions across North and South Carolina, covering Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Inland Pender, Coastal Pender, Inland New Hanover, Coastal New Hanover, Inland Brunswick, Coastal Brunswick, Marlboro, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Coastal Horry, Inland Georgetown, Coastal Georgetown, Central Horry, Northern Horry, and the Sandhills, as reported by abc11.com, wgni.com, and wwqq101.com. Reporting from wgni.com and wwqq101.com notes that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat-related illnesses.

    Timing for the advisory varies among sources. Reports from wgni.com and wwqq101.com list start times ranging between 11:00 a.m. EDT on August 15, 2026, 1:47 p.m. EDT on August 15, 2026, and 11:00 a.m. EDT on August 16, 2026. The expiration time is reported as ranging between 8:00 p.m. EDT on August 15, 2026, and 8:00 p.m. EDT on August 16, 2026, according to conflicting reports from wgni.com and wwqq101.com.

    Expected heat index values also vary by source. Reports from wgni.com and wwqq101.com cite heat index values reaching up to 108, up to 109, and up to 110, with locally higher indices possible briefly. Outlet abc11.com reported that heat index values in the Sandhills are expected to reach between 103 and 108.

    Safety recommendations differ across reporting outlets. Outlets wgni.com and wwqq101.com reported detailed guidance advising residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, avoid the sun, check on relatives and neighbors, wear lightweight and loose-fitting clothing, limit strenuous outdoor activities to early morning or evening, and respond to symptoms of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. They noted that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends frequent rest breaks in shaded or air-conditioned areas for outdoor workers, moving anyone overcome by heat to a cool location, and calling 9 1 1 for heat stroke emergencies. A shorter advisory statement reported by wgni.com and wwqq101.com urges drinking fluids, staying indoors in air conditioning, staying out of the sun, and checking on neighbors, while abc11.com reported that people spending time outdoors should stay hydrated and take frequent breaks.

  2. Aug 15, 2026, 9:19 a.m. ET

    Carolinas Heat Advisory Now Runs Until 8 p.m. Sunday Evening

    The heat advisory covering parts of southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina now runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EDT on Saturday, August 15, according to the advisory text carried by wwqq101.com, which lists the later end time. The window is longer than the one carried in earlier versions of the advisory.

    Forecasters expect heat index values up to 110, with locally higher heat indices possible for a brief period, as reported by wwqq101.com and wgni.com. The advisory warns that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses.

    The areas listed are Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Inland Pender, Coastal Pender, Inland New Hanover, Coastal New Hanover, Inland Brunswick, Coastal Brunswick, Marlboro, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Coastal Horry, Inland Georgetown, Coastal Georgetown, Central Horry and Northern Horry.

    The advisory advises drinking plenty of fluids, staying in an air-conditioned room, staying out of the sun, and checking up on relatives and neighbors. It says to take extra precautions when outside, wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing, and try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening. It adds that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments to reduce risk during outdoor work, that anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location, and that heat stroke is an emergency — call 9 1 1.

  3. Aug 15, 2026, 8:30 a.m. ETFirst report

    Heat Advisory in Effect for Parts of the Carolinas With Heat Index Up to 110

    A heat advisory is in effect for a band of counties in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina on Saturday, August 15, 2026, with heat index values up to 110 expected, according to reports published by wwqq101.com and wgni.com. Both outlets report the advisory beginning at 11 a.m. EDT; wwqq101.com reports it running until 8 p.m. EDT.

    The areas listed are Robeson, Bladen, Columbus, Inland Pender, Coastal Pender, Inland New Hanover, Coastal New Hanover, Inland Brunswick, Coastal Brunswick, Marlboro, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Williamsburg, Coastal Horry, Inland Georgetown, Coastal Georgetown, Central Horry and Northern Horry. Locally higher heat indices are possible for a brief period, the outlets report.

    The stated impact is that hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses. The advisory text carried by both outlets advises: drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors. It says to take extra precautions when outside, wear lightweight and loose fitting clothing, and try to limit strenuous activities to early morning or evening, and to take action when symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke appear. To reduce risk during outdoor work, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recommends scheduling frequent rest breaks in shaded or air conditioned environments. Anyone overcome by heat should be moved to a cool and shaded location. "Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1."

    This is a developing weather situation and the advisory's terms may change.

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Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 419 Aug 2026, 02:55current

    Headline now names Robeson, Bladen and Columbus counties and locates the story in the Carolinas; dek also names those counties. Body unchanged in substance, with the abc11.com Sandhills line and the impacts and precautions wording brought closer to the sources' own phrasing; all conflicts remain reported as sourced ranges naming every reporting outlet, with no single version chosen.

  2. Version 317 Aug 2026, 07:56

    Updated story to include watch and warning alert levels, additional reported start/end dates, and Extreme Heat Watch/Warning heat index values up to 114.

  3. Version 216 Aug 2026, 00:57

    Replaced "a call to 911" with the sources' exact wording, "Heat stroke is an emergency! Call 9 1 1," attributed to wgni.com and wwqq101.com. Converted literal \n\n markers into real paragraphs. Quoted the conflicting heat-index branches verbatim rather than paraphrasing them, restored the advisory alert level, restored precaution details (extra precautions outside, symptom awareness) that had been dropped, and corrected the abc11.com advice to apply to anyone spending time outdoors rather than "outdoor workers and visitors." All timing and precaution conflicts remain reported as sourced ranges with no source favored.

  4. Version 115 Aug 2026, 13:19current

    First published.

  5. Version 115 Aug 2026, 12:57

    First published.

  6. Version 115 Aug 2026, 12:30current

    First published.

  7. Version 116 Aug 2026, 00:55current

    First published.

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