70s, storms and snow: Wild NC weather day brings its share of twists, problems

A blast of storms came through central North Carolina on Thursday, causing problems for homeowners, drivers and power companies. 

The central part of the state saw a wide spectrum of weather in the span of a few hours, coming one day after Raleigh-Durham International Airport logged record-breaking 89-degree temperatures. On Thursday morning, many places saw temperatures in the 70s, but that changed quickly.

The worst of the rain came in the late-morning/early-afternoon hours with straight-line winds blowing in excess of 30 mph as a cold front moved through and put an end to an extended warm stretch. A 52 mph gust was recorded in Goldsboro.

Around 2 p.m., pockets of east Raleigh, Garner and Holly Springs all had hundreds of power outages.

A Pikeville resident sent a photo of a tree that had split in a yard. In Four Oaks, a person shared a photo of an overturned RV.

On the roads, one lane of Interstate 40 was closed near Harrison Avenue because of a fallen tree. Part of NC 55 was closed in Holly Springs near Dickens Road because of downed power lines and trees. WRAL News also received reports of a downed tree blocking N.C. Highway 242 in Sampson County. between Salemburg and Roseboro.

Near Erwin, a viewer sent a photo of a tree upside down and entangled in power lines.

The National Weather Service confirmed there were no tornadoes in central North Carolina on Thursday.

Interestingly enough, Roxboro saw snow flurries in the early afternoon due to a dramatic dip in temperatures from the morning. Impacts from the snow were expected to be minimal.

“It’s the cold air catching up with the moisture,” said WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell. “You don’t have to worry about any of the sticking or leading toward any kinds of impacts.”

Temperatures were expected to fall into the 40s throughout the area on Thursday afternoon. As the winds subside, we’ll see temperatures in the 30s on Friday morning with possible frost.