Nearly 275,000 power outages across Carolinas following tornadoes, severe thunderstorms

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Power outages reached into the hundreds of thousands across the Carolinas on Monday morning after a life-threatening batch of storms invaded the region.

Duke Energy’s power outage map totaled nearly 275,000 outages in both North and South Carolina as of 8 a.m. Heavy rains, high wind gusts and isolated tornadoes. There were around 45,000 outages in the Charlotte metropolitan area. Raleigh had around 9,000 outages.

ABC11 saw possible tornado damage in Alamance County where radar did confirm that a tornado touched down. In the Eli Whitney community near the Alamance/Orange county line, trees snapped and some were down across a two-lane road.

Storms killed more than a dozen people on Sunday in the deep south.

The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Watch until noon for the entire central North Carolina area. A Wind Advisory is also in effect until 4 p.m.