At least 415,000 without power in the Carolinas as Tropical Storm Zeta pushes through
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More than 415,000 customers in the Carolinas were without power Thursday afternoon as Post-Tropical Cyclone Zeta unleashed strong winds on Southeastern states.
Zeta was a Category 2 hurricane when forecasters say it made landfall at about 4 p.m. Wednesday near Cocodrie, Louisiana. The system, which downgraded overnight to a tropical storm, was expected to bring heavy rain and winds of up to 60 mph as it continued its track toward the northeast.
Zeta became a post-tropical cyclone just after 2 p.m. Thursday as it trekked over Virginia, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In North Carolina, there were more than 301,000 outages as of 6 p.m., data show. The highest concentrations were in Forsyth, Guilford and other counties in the Triad and Charlotte areas, according to the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Power outages also hit upstate South Carolina. Throughout the state, about 114,000 customers were without power as of 6 p.m., according to the online tracking tool on the website poweroutage.us.
Some customers have Duke Energy, which listed more than 335,000 people without power, many in the western part of the state.
“#Zeta is bringing high winds through the Carolinas causing outages due to flying debris, fallen trees and downed poles and lines,” the company wrote Thursday morning on Twitter. “Use extreme caution and avoid contact with downed power lines and other debris during and after a storm.”
Also in South Carolina, utilities provider Blue Ridge Electric Co-op said it was working to restore services to 22,809 who lost power — down from a morning high of 42,000 people.
Zeta packed 50-mph winds and was about 45 miles southwest of Cape May, New Jersey, as of 5 p.m. Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.
As the storm moved across the Southeast, more than 2.5 million customers lost power, CNN reported.
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 10:40 AM with the headline "At least 415,000 without power in the Carolinas as Tropical Storm Zeta pushes through."
