Damage reported after severe weather hits the Triangle
Severe weather rolled through central North Carolina on Friday afternoon, causing damage to cars and buildings, and knocking down trees.
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However, the National Weather Service said the storm was a microburst and not a tornado.
Microbursts are localized columns of sinking air within a thunderstorm; experts said they can cause extensive damage and in some instances, can be life-threatening.
The National Weather Service will be in the Triangle area taking a look at the damage left behind from the storms.
Fuquay-Varina and Willow Spring were particularly hard-hit, as was Angier, where large hail and wind gusts resulted in significant damage.
On Sunray Court in Fuquay-Varina, it was anything but sunshine. Kacy Daniels and her daughter Kyra said it was terrifying.
"It sounded like someone was throwing something at the window. We came outside and there was hail, like golf-ball size," Kacy said.
The family quickly retreated back inside.
"I really thought a hurricane or a tornado was coming," Kyra said. "I just stayed in the hallway and away from the windows."
The hail tore through the siding of Tammy Whitehead's house in Angier. It also did a number on her red Ford Mustang out back; shattering the back window and leaving a trail of dents on the roof and hood.
"(The hail was) coming down pretty hard, really big. We picked them up and they were like baseballs," Whitehead said.
Some places in the state also saw lightening which was the cause for a house on fire in Holly Springs.
Fortunately, firefighters were able to knock down the fire quickly.
A Tornado Warning for Harnett County expired just before 6:30 p.m. while a warning for Johnston County expired around 6:15 p.m.
Sanford also suffered a good bit of damage.
According to the Sanford Deputy Fire Chief, there were many power outages in the area and several power lines are down.
Duke Energy reported roughly 6,600 outages in the central part of the state Friday evening.
High winds and dime-sized hail were reported in Garner and multiple parts of Wake County.
Wind gusts up to 70 mph were recorded in Apex. While officials in Clayton said they saw almost four inches of rain in just an hour.
