Lightning strikes and power outages: Weekend storms move through the Triangle

Lightning strikes, downed trees and downpours left damage across the viewing area on Saturday. WRAL News takes a look at what people in the Triangle are dealing with on another WRAL Weather Alert Day.
Posted 7/20/2025, 4:00:00 AM Updated 7/20/2025, 2:26:13 PM

SUNDAY. AND THAT INTENSE HEAT

COMING UP JUST A BIT. ALSO

AMAZING VIDEO OF THEIR GRANT.

THANK YOU. TONIGHT, LIGHTNING

STRIKES DOWN TREES AND

DOWNPOURS LEFT DAMAGE ACROSS

OUR VIEWING AREA. THE BUREAU'S

ALLEY CAT LABAR HAS BEEN

TRACKING THE LATEST IMPACT OF

THE LAST 6 HOURS. PLUS.

>> ALI, WHAT ARE PEOPLE DEALING

WITH OUT THERE TONIGHT?

>> WELL, RIGHT NOW, WE ARE

ACTUALLY IN THE WRAL STORM

TRACKER AND I WANT TO GET YOU

RIGHT TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON

THIS IS I-40 EASTBOUND? WE'RE

IN WAKE COUNTY AND WE CAN SEE

THERE. THE ROADS ARE DEFINITELY

A WET, BUT JUST ABOUT 30

MINUTES AGO, WE WERE ON HIGH.

85 IN DURHAM COUNTY. AND WE

REALLY SAW THOSE DOWNPOURS.

BUT TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO

FROM THE WRAL BREAKING NEWS

TRACKER THAT TREE THAT YOU SAW

THOSE LOGS. THAT IS ACTUALLY

PART OF A TREE THAT FELL ON

A PERSON'S HOME THIS AFTERNOON

IN DURHAM. IT COOLED OFF THEIR

GUTTERS. EVEN DAMAGING THEIR

ROOF, PULLING DOWN UTILITY

LINES. THIS IS JUST A GLIMPSE

OF THE IMPACTS. PEOPLE SAW DO

OUT THE TRIANGLE.

>> WAKE TO ORANGE COUNTY,

SEVERE STORMS LIKE THE ONE YOU

SEE IN THIS VIDEO FROM THE WRAL

STORM TRACKER, WEATHER DAMAGE

ACROSS THE TRIANGLE. A

LIGHTNING STRIKE HIT A LARGE

HOME IN NORTHERN WAKE COUNTY

WHEN THAT IS WHAT NEIGHBORS

TELL ME, THEY HEARD BEFORE

SIRENS, WHAT IN THEIR

NEIGHBORHOOD?

>> WHO'S TOMMY? THE LIGHTNING

STRIKE THAT WILL FIRE. IT

PROMPTED A LARGE RESPONSE FROM

WAKE FOREST FIRE DEPARTMENT

DAMAGE THE EYE AND SECOND FLOOR

IN FRANKLIN COUNTY. YOUNGSVILLE

FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED TO A

SEPARATE HOUSE FIRE. IT STARTED

FROM A LIGHTNING STRIKE IN

ORANGE COUNTY, NORTH OF

HILLSBOROUGH. A TREE FELL ON A

POWER LINE. IT IMPACTED AT

LEAST 6 CUSTOMERS FOR MORE THAN

5 HOURS.

>> STORIES OF HUNDREDS WITHOUT

POWER THROUGHOUT THE TRIANGLE.

>> AND I'M JUST CHECKING THAT.

THAT OUTAGE MAP THAT DUKE

ENERGY OUTAGE MAP AND IT SAYS

THAT THERE'S MORE THAN 3,000

CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER RIGHT

NOW. SO SOME PEOPLE.

>> WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A LONG

NIGHT WAITING FOR THEIR POWER

TO BE RESTORED REPORTING AT THE

© WRAL