NC weather: Cleanup underway after severe storms knock out power to tens of thousands

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Some people in the Triangle spent the day cleaning up storm damage following the severe weather Monday evening.

After the storms pushed through, more than 70,000 people were without power. But crews worked around-the-clock and successfully restored power to nearly every customer in the area in less than 24-hours.

Some schools had to dismiss students early Tuesday because of power outages and other problems.

Neuse River Middle School, Centennial Middle School, Lockhart Elementary School, North Garner Middle School, Carver Elementary School and Sanford Creek Elementary School all dismissed students early.

Wake County Public School System said it had multiple schools on altered schedules, most of them due to power issues affecting their air conditioning. WCPSS said those schools did have enough power to safely hold classes in the morning, but when it became clear that the air conditioner would not be repaired in time, the district made the call to send students home early.

WCPSS said it used the following factors to determine if and when a school would dismiss students:

• Estimated time of power restoration
• Availability of buses to provide students transportation home
• The temperature inside classrooms if AC is impacted
• The school's ability to provide meal service to students

A tornado warning, as well as multiple severe thunderstorm warnings, dotted North Carolina on Monday evening.

The storms Monday evening packed a bunch of rain in a short amount of time, and they came along with wind gusts sometimes peaking at near 60 miles per hour.

That combination resulted in several trees toppling over, damaging property and knocking out power.

One tree that fell happened along Simpkins Road in Wake County, not far from where Richard Bradley lives. He said he heard a loud clap and bright light while sitting in his living room.

"I knew something was going on, so I went across the street and saw the tree across that power line," he said. "It was quick; it was quick."

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