About 5,000 Progress Energy customers lost power throughout North Carolina last night as a cold front brought thunderstorms and strong winds that toppled trees in Wake County.
Katie Roussy, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh, said the storms occurred between 10 and 11 p.m.
Roussy said strong gusts of wind knocked over trees on East Martin Street and Poole Road, as well as the intersection between Lynn and Six Forks roads. The tree on East Martin, she added, landed on a house, and there were reports of more trees falling in Fuquay-Varina.
A Progress Energy company spokesperson said the rolling blackouts hit their peak around 1 a.m.
As of 7 a.m. today, 553 customers in Wake County still had no power, she said. The company's Web site lists an estimated restoration time of 10:45 a.m.
The estimated 1 or 2 inches of rain that fell on Raleigh brought some high water. Roussy said flooding forced the closure of Peace Street beneath the Capital Boulevard bridge. Urban and small stream advisories were issued in Wake and Durham counties, she said.
Roussy said she expects today to prove drier and cooler as the front has moved past the Triangle. It will feel less humid, she said. The high temperature will reach 90 degrees with lows in the mid 60s.
