Confirmed EF-1 tornado hits Wake County, damage reported in Garner
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A confirmed EF-1 tornado hit Garner around midday Sunday, causing some significant damage.
Trees were toppled, power lines were knocked down and roofs were damaged by wind. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado had wind speeds of up to 110 mph and traveled a path of 1.5 miles.
Residents who have lived in Garner for more than 30 years -- living through hurricanes and countless severe storms -- said they've never seen anything as bad as the tornado Sunday.
"We've never seen anything like it, not in my neighborhood anyways. We're just happy everyone's OK," Jon Pitt said.
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Pitt's home was damaged in the storm. He, like many others, spent Sunday afternoon trying to clean up debris and repair damages on their property.
The Town of Garner said Public Works will continue to help with clearing affected areas in The Woodlands neighborhood Monday.
We've never seen anything like it.Jon Pitt
Thankfully, the storm did not cause any loss of life or any serious injuries.
"I was blessed to get out of there, God is good. You know, so I'm good. All this can be replaced, all this can be cleaned up. So I'm good," Arthur Becton said.
"We are thankful that there were no reported injuries as a result of Sunday's storm, which appears to have included a brief tornado touchdown in the area of The Woodlands neighborhood," the Town said in a release.
ABC11's Anthony Wilson found a large tree limb that the wind picked up and impaled into the front side of a business in Garner near the intersection of Timber Drive and Woodland Road.
More damage happened on Spring Drive in front of Garner High School.
Over in Raleigh, the NC State women's basketball game versus Liberty was delayed when heavy rains began leaking onto the court at Reynolds Stadium. The game resumed after about a 20-minute pause.
The storms came on the heels of a beautiful Saturday. A cold front pushed through Sunday morning bringing a line of storms across central NC.
The North Carolina Chinese Lantern Festival was closed due to the severe weather.
The main concern overnight Sunday is for gusty winds and street flooding.
After the storms push through, you can expect clear skies and colder temperatures. Monday morning will be 30 degrees cooler than Sunday morning, and that seasonable chill is expected to remain at least through next week--with highs next week to be in the 50s and lows around freezing.
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