Tens of thousands of people are without power as Helene brings heavy rain and gusty winds to the Carolinas.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As Helene brings heavy rain, high winds and potentially historic flooding to the Carolinas, thousands of people have lost power due to the storm.Â
As of 5:30 a.m. Friday, Duke Energy reported 66,889 outages in South Carolina and 52,982 outages in North Carolina. Of those, approximately 11,000 were in the Charlotte area. Over 218,000 people customers were without power across South Carolina.Â
The number of power outages is expected to grow as Helene moves north into the Carolinas. The storm is expected to drench the region with heavy rain and damaging winds through at least midday Friday. And once the storm is gone, it’s unclear how long it will take crews to restore electricity to everyone.Â
Helene was downgraded to a tropical storm at 5 a.m. Friday but the impacts will remain the same for the Carolinas with heavy rain, gusty winds and life-threatening flooding expected in many areas.Â
A Tornado Watch is in place through 8 a.m. for portions of the Charlotte area. This includes Chesterfield, Lancaster, Chester, Anson, Cabarrus, Gaston, Union (NC), Richmond and Mecklenburg counties.
Tropical storm watches and warnings are in place, including most of our viewing area. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Mecklenburg, Union, York, Chester, Gaston, Lincoln, Catawba, Cleveland, Burke, Caldwell and Avery counties. Impacted cities and towns include Banner Elk, Shelby, Lenoir, Morganton, Hickory, Newton, Gastonia, Charlotte, Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Chester, Lincolnton, Monroe, Huntersville, Matthews, and Cheraw.
Additionally, a Flood Watch is in place for Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Ashe, and Watauga counties.Â
