Tornado blew at up to 110 mph in Wilkesboro
On Friday morning, crews were still out on the roads clearing debris, fallen trees and power outages.
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An EF-1 tornado touched down in Wilkes County Thursday night. Investigators with the National Weather Service found estimated peak winds of 105 to 110 mph blew down Main Street in Wilkesboro just before 7 p.m.
A BP gas station was badly damaged, and trees also fell on some houses in the area. It is not known whether the tornado caused this damage or if other high winds caused it.
The windy storms on Thursday damaged trees and downed power lines across central North Carolina.
Storm damage in the Triangle
On Friday morning, crews were still out on the roads clearing debris, fallen trees and power outages. One large tree closed a road in western Wake County, not far from Jordan Lake. New Hill Olive Chapel Road was closed near the intersection of New Hope Farm Road. Another tree was down near Eastgate Park in Raleigh.
A massive tree could be seen in front of Broughton High School, and a broken portion knocked out power to several hundred residents in a local neighborhood. Without power, some after-school activities were canceled.
"The families depend on us to pick the kids up from school, and then the kids get here, and we work with them on homework and study for tests and quizzes, so it is definitely frustrating to have to cancel," said Dana Wright, director of Loaves and Fishes, one of those after-school programs impacted by the power outages.
Trees also took out power in Knightdale, including the stop lights at busy intersections.
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Weather damage in Lee County
Strong winds blew down trees and knocked out power for many Thursday in Lee County.
Jessica Torres says she saw the roof of a building blow off right in front of her eyes.
"It was like really windy. it was like raining a little bit. and out of nowhere," Torres said. "I just happened to look out the window and i could literally see the whole just flew up. it flew up and hit the road."
The wind also knocked over several trees in the Sanford area and crews spent the morning cleaning it up.
Four Lee County schools experienced power outages due to Thursday's strong winds, prompting early dismissal for students.
Fortunately, no one was reported injured.
Storm reports April 11, 2024
In Knightdale, all lanes of Smithfield Road were completely shut down until further notice between First and Main Streets due to a large tree and power lines down.
"I heard this crash coming down, I assumed it was a trash can blowing down the driveway" she told WRAL News at the site. "I looked out window ... I came out the front door and said 'holy smokes.'"
Another tree has fallen in Cary, this one on a hiking trail in west Cary at the Green Hope School trail between Edgemore and Briardale Street. A large tree fell at Broughton High School.
According to that viewer, no one was hurt and there was thankfully no damage to the surrounding homes. This tree fell near Kildaire Farm Road.
Prepare for power outages
- Sign up for Outage Alerts from Duke Energy
- Fully charge cell phones and devices
- If you lose power, text OUT to 57801 or call 1.800.POWERON
- Always avoid downed power lines
- If you come across damaged equipment, maintain a safe distance and report it to Duke Energy or local emergency services.
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