5,000 lose power after storms sweep through Charlotte area Sunday. What you should know

Joe Marusak
·3 min read
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Severe storms knocked out power to about 5,000 Duke Energy customers in the Charlotte area Sunday.

The worst of the outages hit Mecklenburg, Iredell and Catawba counties late in the afternoon, and many could be without electricity until early Monday, according to a Duke Energy outage map.

About 3,000 of the outages occurred at Lake Norman in Iredell and Catawba counties, mostly along Brawley School Road and N.C. 150 in the Mooresville area. That’s just west of Interstate 77 about 35 miles north of Charlotte, the map showed just after 7 p.m.

Roughly 1,000 outages were reported in Charlotte’s University area, the map showed. That number fell to 440 outages by 7:30 p.m., according to the map.

Storms dumped pea-size hail and packed 40-mph winds, the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., reported on Twitter.

Earlier Sunday, NWS meteorologists correctly warned that “numerous thunderstorms” could develop mainly in the afternoon and evening.

A “cold front” brought the storms, WSOC meteorologist Ashley Kramlich said.

“Heavy rain, frequent lightning and some gusty winds can be expected,” Kramlich warned earlier on Twitter.

Strong storms Saturday night knocked out power to 1,200 Duke Energy customers in Catawba County and about 2,000 in the Winston-Salem area, but fewer than 100 customers in Charlotte lost electricity, according to a Duke Energy outage map.

No Charlotte-area weekend storms were caused by the tropical storm that surprised forecasters Saturday morning. Weak Tropical Storm Colin spared the area, meteorologist Jeffrey Taylor of the NWS office in Greer, S.C., told The Charlotte Observer Saturday morning.

Colin formed near Myrtle Beach, S.C., on Saturday morning, the National Hurricane Center reported. Early Sunday, the storm dissipated over Eastern North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center reported at 5 a.m.

Tropical Storm Colin flooding

On Saturday, the Hurricane Center warned holiday travelers at the coast to beware of the sea.

“Rough rip and surf currents” were likely to persist along the North Carolina coast through Sunday morning, according to an 11 a.m. Saturday National Hurricane Center storm update.

Gov. Roy Cooper on Saturday issued a weather-preparedness reminder.

“This storm that formed quickly and rather unexpectedly is a reminder that we all need to be prepared and vigilant during hurricane season,” Cooper said in a statement. “If you are enjoying the holiday weekend at the coast, keep a close eye on the weather and be sure to follow directions from local officials and lifeguards.”

4th of July forecast

Charlotte has a 50% chance of rain and thunderstorms Monday, according to the 9 a.m. Sunday NWS Charlotte forecast.

The forecast calls for partly sunny skies and a high of 88 degrees, NWS meteorologists said.