CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Storms rolled through the Charlotte region Tuesday, bringing strong wind gusts among other effects.
While the storm threat may be over, flood risks remain around much of the Charlotte area and drivers are urged to take caution, especially when driving in the dark. Even North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency ahead of the severe weather threat.
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York County
The York County Sheriff's Office advised drivers to avoid Lincoln Road near Meadow Road in York, South Carolina, after a tree fell onto a power line and the road. As crews worked to clear the road, deputies shared a photo of the scene.
That would not be the only tree and power line down on Lincoln Road; minutes later, the sheriff's office found another similar scene, with crews taking chainsaws to larger branches to clear the scene.
Deputies also found a tree branch that fell into the road along West Old Limestone Road.
Yet another tree would fall onto a roadway, this time along Beaver Creek Trail in Clover according to a report from deputies on social media platform X.
Deputies would also confirm another tree fell across a road, this time on West Mt. Gallant Road at Tirzah Road. The sheriff's office shared that crews discovered the tree was blocking the entire road.
A power line hazard was also reported along East Old Limestone Road at Wood Road, and a similar scene played out along Highway 5 at Mustang Lane. Deputies shared video of the scene.
The York County Office of Emergency Management confirmed Phil Grant Road near Strait Road in Rock Hill was closed in both directions because of flooding, promising it would reopen once safe.
Deputies asked drivers to avoid North Shiloh Road and Appling Way in York after a tree fell onto a set of power lines along the roadway. The road would be closed for up to an hour as crews worked to get the mess cleaned and cleared.
Several more damage reports would come in, with deputies listing them on X.
The reports of downed trees would eventually turn into flooding reports for York County deputies. Several roads were closed as water levels rose, including in Rock Hill. Deputies shared a driver's car stalled at South Heckle Road in town after the driver tried to drive through the water.
Storm damage in Charlotte
The Queen City would also see damage reports as the storms rolled through. A WCNC Charlotte crew saw large trees down along Westbury Road in south Charlotte, which also took down power lines. The trees appeared to land on a Toyota Tundra pickup truck parked outside of a house, along with a red vehicle parked ahead of it.
On St. Francis Drive in north Charlotte, one person was taken to an area hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries after a tree reportedly fell on a mobile home while people were inside.
Below: Photos of storm damage in the Carolinas. Click here to learn how to share your photos and videos with WCNC Charlotte.
PHOTOS: Storm damage across the Charlotte area - Jan. 9, 2024
Flooding would later be seen across Charlotte too, with Exit 38 on I-85 going to I-77 shut down because of it.
Deadly damage in Catawba County
The storms took a deadly turn in Claremont, a community in Catawba County. The emergency communications center confirmed to WCNC Charlotte one person died around 1 p.m. along Evening Drive, south of Old Catawba Road. Two other people were also in critical condition.
Cabarrus County damage
At least one damage report came in from southern Cabarrus County. Midland Fire and Rescue shared that a large tree went down and blocked part of Reed Mine Road in both directions just before 1:30 p.m. The department urged drivers to keep headlights on while on roadways.
Bethel School Road would also be shut down as roadways got flooded.
Fire truck vs. tree in Shelby
Shelby Fire & Rescue saw one of their own engines damaged in the aftermath of the storm. The department shared photos on Facebook and said a tree fell in front of the truck while it was returning to quarters along West Warren Street. The truck was damaged when it hit the tree. Nobody was hurt according to the post.
Power outages in the area
Over 8,000 Duke Energy customers are without power in Mecklenburg County following Tuesday's severe weather outbreak, according to the company's outage map.
Over 49,000 people are without power across North Carolina with the majority of those outages being reported in the eastern part of the state, including Jacksonville, Fayetteville and Raleigh. In South Carolina, Duke Energy reported at 8:30 a.m. that around 5,000 customers are without power.
WCNC Charlotte will continue to update this article as new damage reports are shared.
If you see damage or severe weather in your area, you can use the Near Me feature in the free WCNC Charlotte mobile app to share it with us. Make sure you are safe before sending anything in.
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