Lightning strikes, flooding keep emergency crews busy on Friday

Looking south from Duck at a storm on Aug. 23, 2019. [photo courtesy Richie MacDonald, New Media Systems]

Numerous lightning strikes of structures and road flooding kept emergency crews up and down the Dare County beaches busy on Friday thanks to intense thunderstorms that were crawling across much of North Carolina.

Earlier in the afternoon, a 23-year-old man swimming in the ocean near the Kitty Hawk Bathhouse was seriously injured after being struck by lightning from a storm that was still several miles to the west.

More than a half-dozen fire calls were dispatched by Dare Central Communications between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. in Kill Devil Hills, Duck and Southern Shores, all related to lightning strikes of homes.

No injuries or active fires were reported, but there was damage to structures and electrical appliances. Several trees were also knocked down by gusty winds or lightning.

A flood advisory was issued until 12:45 a.m. Saturday from Duck to Kill Devil Hills, because some locations had already received more than three inches of rain since the afternoon.

Flooding was reported in the usual trouble spots along N.C. 12 and U.S. 158.

A Southern Shores resident reported 6.11 inches of rain had fallen at their house as of 10 p.m. on Friday.

In lower Currituck County, a flood advisory was posted until 11:45 p.m. because radar indicated at least four inches of rain had fallen from Grandy south and more was expected.

The persistent storms also postponed season opening high school football games. Edenton at First Flight and Currituck at Manteo have been rescheduled for Saturday at 6 p.m.

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Sam Walker was news director for OBXToday.com, Beach 104, 99.1 The Sound, Big 94.5 WCMS and Z 92.3 from August 2011 to March 2022.