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Record Breaking Rain In Charlotte Leaves Thousands Without Power Early Monday

fallen tree blocking Sharon Road
Davie Hinshaw
/
Charlotte Observer
In bound Sharon Road just past Sharon Lane saw three lanes blocked early Monday due to a fallen tree.

A large tree that fell across Marvin Road and took out power lines on the way down is an example of what Charlotte can expect as the city feels the impact of record breaking 2-inches of rain in the past 24 hours.

Forecasters say the city could see up to 3 inches more rain before the end of the day Monday, increasing the threat of flooding and falling trees. Short breaks in the rain are expected throughout the day, but it will resume early afternoon and stay through much of the evening, forecasters say. Areas east of Interstate 77 will see the most rain, forecasters say.

A Flood Watch has been issued for many parts of the area through 8 p.m. Monday. The counties of Cabarrus, Ashe, Watauga, Stanly, Anson, Richmond, Mecklenburg, Gaston and Caldwell in North Carolina are all under a Flood Watch until Monday at 8 p.m.

At one point Duke Energy was reporting it had nearly 63,000 customers without power early Monday, and another 4,300 in Cabarrus County. By 7 a.m., the number had dropped to 48,000 in Mecklenburg County and at 7:45 a.m., only 6,000 homes were reportedly without power.

The outages were largely in eastern Mecklenburg County and were impacting traffic lights in an arc along Interstate 485 from Stallings up through the University City area.

Marvin Road is expected to remain closed through rush hour, between Johnston and Kingsley View Drive, as workers try to repair the damage and remove the tree.

Observer news partner WBTV reported a tree had also fallen across Sharon Road near Sharon Lane, blocking all inbound lanes and the left outbound lane.

The U.S Geological Survey showed some areas in the region had received 3 and 4 inches of rain Sunday evening, with Mint Hill and Matthews among those getting the most.

The National Weather Service says the Charlotte can expect a few thunderstorms, which will produce cloud-to-ground lightning. “Persistent northeast winds will have the potential to produce gusts as high as 25 to 35 mph, which may knock a few trees down due to saturated soils,” says the National Weather Service.

WBTVMeteorologist Al Conklin predicts rain will continue to fall, eventually clearing Tuesday morning.