Overnight storms leave debris, damage

Residents reported more than three dozen instances of downed trees, toppled power lines and damaged buildings due to high winds, according to the National Weather Service.

Much of the damage was concentrated in the Triangle and the Rocky Mount areas, and many residents woke up to find debris scattered across their yards.  

Residents in Hedingham Golf Course Community in Raleigh said shingles and were torn siding from their homes. No one was hurt.

Zebulon resident Buddy Amos awoke around 1 a.m. to find his mobile home and vehicles damaged. A neighbor's metal and wooden shed was ripped up in the storm, and the debris crashed into Amos' two vehicles and home at 125 Legend Valley Lane.

Amos said he had moved into the home three months ago and recently completed renovations, most of which were destroyed when the shed crashed through his roof and smashed windows.

"It’s ironic. I just renovated the front room and put beds in there for my grandkids Friday," he said.

Amos' pickup truck, which was also damaged, was just paid off two months ago, he said. His Buick, which he drives to work, was also damaged.

The storms were ominous enough so that at one point, a tornado watch was issued for eastern and central North Carolina counties. No tornadoes, however, were recorded.

Rainfall totals ranged from to six-tenths of an inch in Sanford to two-hundredths in Fayetteville. Most areas saw about a quarter-inch of rain.

After the sun rose Wednesday, the weather calmed down dramatically. Wednesday saw mostly sunny and breezy conditions, with highs in the lower to mid 60s. 

"The rain is over, and we're not expecting any more today or really through the weekend," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.