CHARLOTTE, NC
— Violent storms swept through the Charlotte metro area Wednesday evening, toppling trees, halting flights, and knocking out power to thousands of residents across both North and South Carolina.
Tree Collapse Closes I-77 Southbound
One of the most immediate hazards occurred around 9:30 p.m., when a
tree fell onto Interstate 77 in Huntersville
, blocking southbound general-purpose lanes near Hambright Road. Traffic was snarled until crews were able to clear the road and
reopen it just before 10 p.m.
, according to
Queen City News
.
Widespread Warnings and Flash Flood Threats
Earlier in the evening, the
National Weather Service (NWS)
issued multiple Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for counties across both states. Around 7:52 p.m., alerts were sent out for
Lincoln and northern Gaston counties
, citing wind gusts up to 60 mph and quarter-sized hail.
By 6 p.m., the warning area expanded to include
Catawba, Iredell, Union, and Stanly counties in North Carolina
, along with
York and Chester counties in South Carolina
. In total, over a dozen communities were under alert as storms intensified rapidly.
Additionally,
Flash Flood Warnings
were issued in several regions. Central
Lincoln County
, including Lincolnton and Iron Station, remained under warning until 11:45 p.m. Meanwhile, southern
Lancaster County
in South Carolina received alerts after 2–3 inches of rain fell quickly, with more precipitation expected in
Springdale, Elgin, and Heath Springs
.
Thousands Left Without Power
Duke Energy
reported widespread outages Wednesday night, including:
-
Nearly
900 customers in western Lincoln County
-
478 residents in Kannapolis
, due to another downed tree -
Almost
300 outages in Plaza Midwood
and over
350 in University City
within Charlotte
In
Anson County
, more than
1,000 customers west of Wadesboro
lost power when equipment went offline. Restoration was expected by
7:15 a.m. Thursday
, according to
Duke Energy updates
.
Flights Grounded at Charlotte Douglas Airport
The severe weather forced a
ground stop at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)
starting at 6:15 p.m., which initially was supposed to last one hour but ultimately extended until 10 p.m. The delays affected both departures and arrivals, creating a ripple effect across flight schedules through the region.
Have you experienced severe weather damage, flooding, or outages in your area? Share your story in the comments at
SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com
to help us inform and prepare your community.
