Weather

Heavy rains knock out power, topple trees across Carolinas

Most of the heaviest rain from overnight had already pushed through the metro area before dawn Monday, though pockets of moderate rainfall continued to soak the region throughout the morning.

The rains drenched the Charlotte area, toppling numerous trees around the area, including the 6100 block of Paw Creek Road, Crossridge Road, Fugate Avenue at June Drive, Sir Anthony Drive, Hyde Park Drive and Research Drive just off WT Harris Boulevard.

Trees also had reportedly fallen on several homes across the area. Two, in particular, landed on homes in west Charlotte, one on Lee Street and another on Crossridge Road. No injuries were reported.

Channel 9 saw firsthand the damage on Crossridge Road, where the tree nearly sheared the kitchen off the home, scattering bricks everywhere.

The family who lives there had called the house their home for nearly 20 years, but after the tree fell, it's too dangerous for them to go back inside.

Their belongings were buried under enormous branches that weigh hundreds of pounds.

[PHOTOS: Tree crashes down on home in west Charlotte]

The tree crushed the house when the mother was home alone with her dog. Neighbors told Channel 9 that the woman got up to look for something in the kitchen, and right after she left the room the roof fell in.

(Click PLAY for RAW VIDEO of the storm damage)

"It just so happened that her and the dog were in the same area and she could just pick up the dog and they could just walk right out," said her daughter, Shaniqua Barry.

While the family is still waiting to see how much of the damage can be repaired, they said it's clear they won't ever be able to come back to their home.

"I can't go back in there that's so weird, that's so strange to me. I can't go back and get my own stuff, that's odd," Barry said.

[TRACK RAIN: Monitor showers using Interactive Radar]

Emergency crews were working to repair power lines that fell when a large tree crashed down across Paw Creek Road.

Drier weather will return by late morning and will last through the early afternoon before more strong storms are possible on the drive home. Heavy rain, lightning and strong winds will be the primary threats with the afternoon wet weather.

[IMAGES from Sunday's thunderstorms]

A better chance for rain tomorrow will drift farther south of the metro. Temps will also cool down this week, with highs topping out in the low 80s. Another round of heat and humidity will likely return for the weekend.

(Click PLAY for Keith Monday's forecast outlook)

Power knocked out in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Anson counties

Nearly 15,000 Duke Energy customers were left without power in Cabarrus and Mecklenburg counties after strong storms blew through the area Sunday night into Monday morning.

More than 12,500 customers were affected in Cabarrus County at the height of the storm.

[OUTAGE MAP: Click to see current Duke Energy outages]

A widespread power outage in Concord was caused by a fire at a Duke Energy delivery point, causing significant damage to both city and Duke Energy equipment.

Significant repairs to both pieces of equipment are necessary and crews worked well into the night.

In Anson County, more than 1,300 residents lost power. The 911 phone lines were also down in Anson County, though they came back online overnight.

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