One dead after suspected tornado in Seneca, South Carolina

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — One person died after a suspected tornado touched down in Seneca, South Carolina early Monday morning, officials said.

The suspected tornado moved through the Upstate of South Carolina a little after 3:30 a.m. as a line of powerful thunderstorms left a trail of destruction across the Carolinas. Officials said the timing, during the overnight hours into Monday morning, played a factor in the deadly outbreak as many people were asleep when the storms hit.

In the Charlotte area, residents reported downed trees and power lines all over York County and in the City of Rock Hill as wind gusts topped 64 mph during Monday’s storms. One of those reports was on Woodland Drive, where a large tree was snapped in two and crashed into a home.

Video from the Upstate showed the widespread damage caused by those thunderstorms. Many houses were either demolished or badly damaged, and power lines were taken down by the strong winds. The person who died was found inside a collapsed building Monday morning. Oconee County officials believe a second tornado hit North Greenville.

Winds up to 100 mph were reported across the region, knocking trees on top of cars and toppling power lines. More than 30,000 power outages were reported in the area.

The National Weather Service is set to send survey crews to assess the damage and confirm the suspected tornadoes.

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