CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A round of storms ripped trees from the ground Monday night, knocking down utility lines and causing more problems for an area already trying to rebound from Friday night’s strong storms.
Utility crews have worked tirelessly overnight to restore power to thousands of customers who were without it following Monday night’s storms, and by 6 a.m. less than 1,000 homes were without power.
Around midnight, more than 5,000 customers were without power after strong storms brought down trees and power lines across Mecklenburg County.
[ IMAGES: Strong storms move through area Monday evening ]
Strong winds knocked down a massive tree, which was blocking the intersection at Matheson Avenue and Holt Avenue in Plaza-Midwood, and Channel 9 saw utility crews on Matheson Avenue working to repair downed lines at The Plaza.
Most of the damage from Monday night's storm was reported in that neighborhood, as well as NoDa -- the same area hit hard by last Friday's storms.
In those neighborhoods, trees are cracked and fallen in family's yards and laying on power lines. Many residents told Channel 9 that power returned for them Monday after the weekend storms, but they lost it again Monday night when more wild weather rolled in.
[ LINK: Duke Energy power outage map ]
“I didn’t see this coming,” Nicole Zander told Channel 9. “I knew it was going to rain again but not that bad.”
The laundromat where Zander works had just reopened after the weekend’s storms when they lost power again.
Channel 9 spoke with one man who cuts trees for a living, who said he's been busy the past few days, and that a tree even fell in his aunt's yard.
"Truly amazing though that it didn't harm anybody, didn't hurt anybody. So I’m happy. I'll sleep well tonight. Without the air conditioning, but I’ll be OK," said Jerry Forney.
His neighbor, Michele, said she was inside her home when she heard the tree come down.
“I was cooking and all of a sudden the lightning and the thunder and a ‘boom,’” she said.
The big issue for people trying to head to work Tuesday morning will be the fallen trees.
Read more top trending stories on wsoctv.com: