1 killed, thousands without power following storms in central North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — The weather clears up nicely for the next several days in the wake of some severe storms that caused damage across central North Carolina on Monday.

The storms brought strong wind, lightning and flooding to multiple neighborhoods across the region between around 7 p.m. and 2 a.m.

A few thousand people woke up without power Tuesday morning, down from around 35,000 Monday night. The highest concentration of outages were found in Benson, Fayetteville and northern Raleigh.

Wake County storm damage

Just before midnight, one person died in a car crash related to the storms. The person was driving a white car along Six Forks Road at Sandy Forks Road in Raleigh when they crashed into a Duke Energy truck.

The Duke Energy truck was in the area working to restore power knocked out by the storm.

The driver of the white car was rushed to the hospital but did not survive. The Duke Energy worker was not injured.

Also in Raleigh, a large tree fell on Person Street. Crews blocked the road so they could clear it and make the area safe to drive again.

In Cary, a house on Haley House Lane had a tree fall on its roof.

Sandhills storm damage

In the Sandhills, MLK Freeway flooded with several feet of water near Bragg Boulevard.

The heavy rain exacerbated problems on Strickland Bridge and 71st in Fayetteville. Crews tell ABC11 the weather combined with nearby construction opened up a large sinkhole.

That sinkhole ended up swallowing a big rig. Crews said the area will need major repairs following an extensive clean up.

In addition, that tractor trailer truck hit an officer while trying to avoid the sinkhole. The officer was taken to the hospital but did not sustain permanent injuries.

Fayetteville Police Department reported storms knocking down powerlines along South Reilly Road, blocking the road from Lexi Lane to Willowbrook Drive. Power is also out in the area.

Hope Mills Police Department reports a car crashed in the rain, flipping over and landing on its roof. It happened around midnight along Main Street. The driver was taken to the hospital; their condition has not been released.

RDU weather delays

Storms across the country are also being blamed for some travel delays out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. At least 15 flights were cancelled Tuesday morning with more than a dozen others delayed.

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