Severe Storms Pound Parts Of Johnston County Saturday

SMITHFIELD, N.C. – Strong thunderstorms swept across Johnston County Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, large hail, downed trees and scattered power outages.

In Smithfield, a large tree fell near the intersection of East Davis Street and South Fifth Street as the storm moved through town.

Reports of downed trees and limbs were also received in other parts of Johnston County, while hundreds of customers lost electricity.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for portions of the county as the storms moved through Saturday afternoon.

Large Hail Reported

Preliminary National Weather Service storm reports show several reports of significant hail in northern and central Johnston County.

At approximately 3:55 p.m., half-inch hail was reported about one mile north of Clayton.

Five minutes later, 1-inch hail was reported near the intersection of N.C. 42 and Glen Laurel Road east of Clayton.

At 4:02 p.m., the National Weather Service received a report of 1.75-inch hail in the Powhatan area southeast of Clayton.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., a member of the public reported 2-inch hail about four miles south of Flowers.

The National Weather Service said the storm reports are preliminary and may be updated as additional information is received.

Trees Down, Power Outages Reported

Strong winds accompanied the storms across the county.

A 44 mph wind gust was recorded at the Johnston County Airport near Smithfield.

Heavy rain also reduced visibility at times as the storms moved through the area.

As of 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Duke Energy was reporting scattered outages affecting 887 customers across Johnston County.

Utility crews were working to restore service, with Duke Energy estimating all the outages would be restored by approximately 6 a.m. Sunday.