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Strong winds topple trees across Charlotte area

A High Wind Warning is in effect from Thursday until Friday for Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties.

[IMAGES: Powerful winds topple trees in Charlotte area]

Wind gusts could hit up to 65 miles per hour in those areas, especially for counties along the Blue Ridge Escarprment, according to the National Weather Service.

(Click PLAY to watch Christine Rapp's explain why it's so windy out Thursday)

In the lower elevations, wind gusts close to 30 miles per hour caused huge trees to come crashing down. Charlotte's city arborist told Channel 9 he received 25 service requests because of downed trees. He said on a normal day he receives zero to two requests for service.

A tree crashed down onto a minivan and took out power lines on Dilworth Road East at Buchannan Street. Neighbor Kelly Rosamond was relieved no one was hurt.

"My first thought was, 'Anybody in that car?' I'm so glad that nobody was hurt when that tree came down," Rosamond said.

Another massive tree was pushed over by strong winds and hit a house on Romany Road in Dilworth.

Channel 9 spoke to the homeowner, who was inside the home when the tree fell. He wasn’t hurt.

The homeowner Mike Glaser said the tree crushed the front porch, broke a window and damaged a portion of the roof. Glaser said he had just finished construction on the home.

He also said the tree was scheduled by the city to be taken down soon before it fell.

"The city had been out telling me this tree was going to fall one day so then I walked in the front and saw the damage," Glaser said.

A tree also crashed down Thursday morning right in front of a church in Matthews. A parishioner said the tree didn’t damage First Baptist Church on Trade Street and Sadie Drive. No one was hurt.

A massive tree smashed through a home on Skyview Road in west Charlotte and hurt a woman who was sitting in a recliner. She was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.

The family allowed Channel 9 to go inside the home where insulation was seen hanging down and debris was everywhere.

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