By Lorrie Ross
Staff Writer
Bad storms are not unusual in the summertime, even in the mountains of western North Carolina. Yet, the storm which hit Clay County and the surrounding area on Monday, Aug. 7 blasted through with dangerous lightning and violent winds. Prior to the storm’s arrival, residents were warned of potential straight-line winds, hail and possible tornadoes. By late afternoon, the storm warnings proved to be accurate.
Some home weather stations reported wind gusts in excess of 60 miles per hour, with sustained winds more than 40 miles per hour. Tree branches littered yards, roads and driveways, while entire trees broke off and crushed some vehicles, damaged roofs and a few campers at a campground on Highway 64 East. Local residents posted pictures of scattered patio furniture, as well as other debris scattered around yards. Despite the storm, most areas in Clay County saw less than a quarter to a half inch of rain.
Power outages began right away, too. Initially, Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corporation reported approximately 9,171 members were impacted. BRMEMC has customers in five counties across North Carolina and north Georgia. On Tuesday, Aug. 8 a BRMEMC social media post shared some final details about the storm damage to its electric customers. “We have approximately 660 members still without power, but crews are working diligently to get all outages restored. After further assessment, we identified 24 poles that were broken from the high winds and the extensive amount of uprooted and blown-over trees,” the social media post said. ”The clearing of trees and debris and the replacing of poles takes a lot of work. Some of it by hand in areas that are hard to reach with trucks and equipment. We appreciate your patience as our crews continue to work.”
While local reports seemed to be mostly property damage, the storms were responsible for at least two deaths in others states. In Alabama, a 28 year-old man died after he was struck by lightning in a parking lot. A 15-year-old boy was killed in Anderson County, S.C. when a falling tree hit him outside his grandparents’ home. WCCB in Charlotte reported about 100,000 people without power in the Charlotte area.
According to: www.wunderground.com, the average high for Aug. 7 in WNC, has been 88.3 degrees, but it only reached 84 on Monday.
Meanwhile, according to The National Weather Service site: www.weather.gov the local forecast for the next week will be pleasant temps some days, with other days which are mostly warm and a smaller chance of storms. The highest temperature on record locally for Aug. 7, is 100, with the lowest recorded temperature at 54.
For Thursday, Aug. 10 the predicted high is 78 with showers and possible thunderstorms. Winds will be from the west at 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90 percent. For Thursday night, expect a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2 a.m. with a low around 65.
Friday will have a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms with a 40 percent chance of precipitation. It will be sunny with a high near 84. Friday night will have a 20 percent chance of showers, mainly after 2 a.m. The low will be around 64.
Saturday’s forecast shows a 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 8 a.m. Despite the rain chance the day should be mostly sunny with a high near 85. Chance of precipitation decreases to 30 percent for Saturday night, when it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
For Sunday, the high may climb to 88 and there will be a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Sunday night will also have a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms with a low around 66.