Storms cut power, flood roads and spark propane explosion in Wake County

Heavy rain, strong wind gusts and lightning hit Wake County again as storms rolled through around 3 p.m. and returned near 6 p.m., leaving a trail of outages, flooded roads and one propane explosion in northern Wake County. At the peak of the outage surge, more than 3,000 people lost electricity in Wake County, while firefighters responded to a lightning strike that ignited a propane line at a home on Southampton Drive.

Two people were inside the home when the strike hit and both escaped safely. One firefighter was checked for minor injuries. The homeowner, Peter Anderson, said lightning struck a tree about 50 feet from the house, traveled underground and reached the propane line before the explosion.

The storm also forced road closures in two parts of the county. In Raleigh, Glenwood Avenue was shut down between Pinecrest Drive and Ebenezer Church Road after flooding. In Zebulon, North Arendell Avenue closed after storm damage brought down power lines and a tree into the roadway, creating a hazard for drivers and emergency crews.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh said central Wake County had already received up to 1.5 inches of rain in some places, with up to 2 more inches still possible. Heavy rain could quickly overwhelm streets, underpasses and low-lying areas, even as the broader storm line triggered severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings across several counties in central North Carolina.

Wake County Emergency Management uses an Emergency Operations Plan and Emergency Operations Center to coordinate disaster work, while residents can sign up for Ready Wake alerts to get emergency notifications directly.