Severe storms leave 21,000 without power in the Charlotte area, Duke Energy says
Severe storms with hail, heavy rain and winds up to 60 mph barreled through the Charlotte region Friday and left 21,000 Duke Energy customers without power.
At least 17,000 customers in Charlotte, 3,000 in Gaston County and 1,000 in Fort Mill had no electricity at 4 p.m., the Duke Energy outages map showed. Repairs and damage assessments were underway.
Power lines were down near West Boulevard and Remount Road, a Charlotte Observer journalist reported. No other damage was immediately reported, and no injuries.
Penny-size hail also was expected during the storms, National Weather Service forecasters said.
Just after 5 p.m., at least 466 incoming and outgoing flights were delayed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to tracking site FlightAware. Federal aviation officials issued a ground stop.
In Davidson, North and South Main streets were closed between Chairman Blake Lane and Griffith Street after power lines and large trees fell near the intersection of Concord Road, town officials said on social media at 4:30 p.m.
“All lanes of travel in this area are closed due to dangerous conditions,” officials said. “We have notified the utility company, but there is no ETA for repairs at this time.
“Please be patient and allow for extra time in the area. If possible, choose an alternate route to avoid the area.”
In Gastonia, police on social media reported “heavy rain moving through Gaston County. Please slow down and drive carefully.”
A storm warning issued by the NWS for uptown Charlotte, south Charlotte, north Mecklenburg, Concord and Kannapolis expired just before 4 p.m., but more bad weather was forecast for the Charlotte area later Friday.
A Charlotte weather radar map posted by the private AccuWeather service showed more storms on the way.
“If on or near Lake Norman, get away from the water and move indoors or inside a vehicle,” the NWS said in a storm warning bulletin. “Remember, lightning can strike out to 15 miles from the parent thunderstorm.”
“If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck by lightning,” NWS meteorologists said in the alert.
This is a developing story.
Observer reporter Noah Vinsky contributed.
This story was originally published July 10, 2026 at 3:19 PM.