Tornado damage, outages reported after severe storms move through western Carolinas

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Storm damage and power outages were reported Friday night after a line of severe storms moved through Upstate South Carolina and western North Carolina.

A tornado warning was issued for parts of the Upstate earlier in the night.

A downed tree and powerlines were on a home on Gurley Street in Anderson County. FOX Carolina’s Kennedi Harris spoke with the family who said they are renting the house. The mother and children who live there were at a neighbor’s home with the tree fell so everyone is okay. They are waiting for the Red Cross to arrive and said they have lost most of their belongings.

Tree and powerlines on Anderson County home during severe storms on March 3, 2023.(FOX Carolina News)

In Spartanburg County along I-26, multiple trees were downed during the storm. Spartanburg County Emergency Management said eight trees fell near or along the highway. However, they added that no injuries from the falling trees were reported following the storm.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol reported downed trees in the roadway at the following locations:

SC-146 near Paso Fino Road in Spartanburg County
Oregon Farm Road near Siloam Church Road in Greenwood County
U.S. 76 near Mountain Creek Road in Greenville County

The Georgia vs. LSU game at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena was delayed due to a leak from the ceiling during the storms caused by excessive high winds.

Duke Energy reported 5,792 customers without power in Buncombe County on Friday night.

As of 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, the power company reported the following counties with customers without power: 51 in Buncombe County, 87 in Haywood County, 25 in Jackson County and 239 in Macon County.

Duke Energy announced on Saturday, that crews are currently working to assess the damage and their line technicians are making good headway with repairs. Officials said the estimated time of restoration is expected to be available once the assessments are complete.

The National Weather Service conducted a storm survey in northern Laurens and southern Spartanburg Counties to determine if the damage was due to straight line winds or tornadoes.

Officials confirmed that a tornado was the cause of EF-1 rated damage in the Gray Court area in Laurens County.

The National Weather Service says “The tornado traveled into downtown Gray Court where sporadic, snapped, and uprooted trees followed a narrow path. It continued to travel through Blackberry Rd and in the vicinity of Highway 92. It then traveled across Ora Rd, while uprooting or snapping at least a dozen trees near a pond on the intersection of Garret Rd and Ora Rd. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped between MM41 and MM42 on Interstate 26, near Enoree. The tornado finally lifted with a few large limbs down off of Cross Anchor Rd.”

Multiple trees were down in roadways in Cherokee, North Carolina near the Qualla Boundary.

The county was under a Tornado Warning for a portion of Friday evening.

Stay with FOX Carolina for updates on this developing story.