CHARLOTTE -- Thunderstorms and severe weather pounded the greater Charlotte area on Thursday night, knocking out power to more than 2,700 residents, and Gaston County was hit the hardest.
Officials issued a tornado warning for Mecklenburg County around 2:30 a.m., but those same storms knocked down trees and power lines in Gaston County.
Some of the downed trees and power lines landed on homes, businesses and a great number of power lines.
Reporter Lisa Reyes is in Gastonia’s Union Commons neighborhood with a closer look at the damage.
Reporter Shannon Peluso is in Gastonia at a business park on Union Road which was hit hard by the storms.
Duke Energy reported that there were 3113 power outages in Gaston County and 861 outages in Mecklenburg County.
Representatives from the National Weather Service planned to come to Gaston County Friday morning to determine if a tornado actually did touch down.
A tornado did touch down in Guilford County in the Triad, killing one man and injuring three others. Guilford County Emergency Services spokesman Alan Perdue said the man who was killed died when his small truck was blown over in a parking lot.
Three tractor-trailer rigs also reportedly overturned Thursday night.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Watch a slideshow of the damage
The following schools are closed Friday, May 9 due to power outages:
• Catawba Heights Elementary
• Gardner Park Elementary
• North Belmont Elementary