NC power outages: Massive storms leave more than 100,000 homes in the Triangle area without electricity
- More than 100,000 North Carolina residents were left without power Tuesday night after a series of massive storms rolled through the state
- Durham County accounts for nearly half of customers without power
- Among the issues faced by residents are highway closures due to accidents, quarter-sized hail and winds of up to 80 mph
More than 100,000 North Carolina residents were left in the dark on Tuesday after a series of intense storms wiped out power and temperatures hit new highs.
Durham County, home to Durham — a city of about 285,000 and Duke University — accounted for nearly half of the power outages with about 67,000 disempowered.
Neighboring Orange County reported Tuesday night that more than 14,000 residents had their lights off after the thunderstorm hit the area.
Among the problems faced by residents in the Triangle—the area between Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill, and North Carolina State University—were fallen tree limbs and an accident on a major highway.
The storms also came on one of the hottest days in Tar Heel state, as temperatures soared, reaching nearly 100 degrees at its peak.
More than 100,000 North Carolina residents were left in the dark on Tuesday after a series of intense storms wiped out power and temperatures hit new highs
Late Tuesday night, a massive accident on Interstate 40 in Durham shut down the highway during rush hour
Among the problems faced by residents in the Triangle – the area between Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University – were fallen tree limbs and a major traffic accident
Fallen trees and rain hit the Triangle on Tuesday morning and afternoon
Late Tuesday night, a massive accident on Interstate 40 in Durham shut down the highway during rush hour.
More than 30 cars were involved in the incident on the highway, authorities said. The road was closed for several hours.
The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the Triangle. One of the concerns was wind speeds of up to 80 mph
Quarter-sized hail was also predicted by meteorologists.
The National Weather Service eventually extended a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the Triangle and a Severe Thunderstorm Warning through 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Aside from Durham and Orange counties, Wake County reported a high number of residents without power, some 12,400.
Guilford County — located several counties east of Durham — also had nearly 20,000 neighbors without power on Tuesday night.
It is not yet clear when the power supply for local residents will be restored.
The National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for parts of the Triangle. One of the concerns was wind speeds of up to 80 mph
Quarter-sized hail was also predicted by meteorologists. Pictured: Storm clouds over a North Carolina airport on Tuesday
Durham County (red) saw the highest number of outages with over 67,000
North Carolina was the epicenter of a recent east coast storm pattern
The power outages and damage from the storms come just a week after rainfall in Massachusetts flooded cars and destroyed buildings.
A tornado touched down in Mattapoisett — about an hour from Boston — on Aug. 7 as the state took the brunt of weather moving through the region.
Heavy rainfall flooded New England throughout the day, causing travel chaos, flooding roads and officials – with flood warnings issued in several states and water rescue teams deployed in the western part of Vermont.
The downpour rolled through just a day after a series of storms battered the East Coast, killing at least two people and leaving nearly a million people without electricity.