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Cleanup underway after possible tornado touches down in Charlotte

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Nearly 2,000 people woke up without electricity in southwest Charlotte Thursday morning after a strong line of storms producing a likely tornado wreaked havoc on the area.

By 5:40 a.m., Duke Energy reported around 150 outages as cleanup efforts resumed following the strong storms.

A security camera caught the moment the likely tornado moved through Wednesday evening. Mobile users, click here to view video.

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The camera, which was located at McClure Collision Center on South Boulevard, shows heavy rain and strong gusty winds scattering debris in the parking lot.

The strongest storms reached the Charlotte area around 6 p.m., with a tornado being confirmed just southwest of York near Sharon in South Carolina. Just before noon Thursday, the National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg reported the damage caused by that particular storm was a result of straight line winds and not a tornado.

Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich feels confident that most of the damage was caused by a tornado. Should the National Weather Service confirm the tornado, it would mark the first confirmed tornado to touch down in Mecklenburg County since 2014.

“We couldn’t see a lot because it was so dark, but the lights from the super Walmart and Lowe’s at 485 and South Tryon, from there, all the way down to Westinghouse was pitch black,” Panovich said. “We saw a semi tipped over, plus significant tree damage. It was enough to clearly tell it was tornado damage.”

With rain moving out of the area and cooler air moving in, Thursday's high temperatures are expected to be in the upper 50's to lower 60's.

"Behind the storms is a cold front. It's much cooler air. We are going to see a significant drop in temperatures on the back side of the system," Panovich explained.

There is another chance of rain this weekend.

First Warn Storm Team Meteorologist Sarah Fortner says a confirmed tornado touched down about four miles southwest of the City of York.

For the most part, reported damage so far has only included downed trees and power outages, however, one Twitter user shared photos of an office building off Arrowood Road in southwest Charlotte. It appears, by the photos, that something crashed through the roof of the building and into offices.

In Pineville, a tractor trailer overturned due to high winds in the 2300 block of Westinghouse Boulevard. Authorities say the driver sustained a serious head injury.

If you're able to safely snap weather photos, share them with us! Email them to YourPics@WCNC.com.

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