Cleanup work is underway for some residents after severe storms caused damage and even a tornado in some parts of central and eastern North Carolina Monday and Tuesday.
The National Weather Service confirmed a brief tornado in Edgecombe County early Tuesday morning.
The tornado happened around 3:46 a.m. near Pinetops, North Carolina, the NWS said. Officials confirmed the tornado with radar data Tuesday morning.
Structural damage and downed trees and power lines have been reported in the area of Gay Street and School Street, which are just upstream of the possible tornado, according to a report from the NWS.
A family living on Gay Street said they slept through the storm, but are having to rent a hotel room since damages to their home have left it uninhabitable.
Pinetops is a small town about 65 miles east of Raleigh. The population of the rural community is about 1,200, according to Census Bureau estimates.
Schools in Edgecombe County were on a two-hour delay Tuesday.
In Cary, a large tree fell on a home on Templeton Street Monday afternoon.
The duplex suffered heavy damage after the oak tree fell across the home, causing a large hole in the roof.
Residents say two families have been displaced. Crews are out Tuesday morning working to remove the tree and assess the full extent of the damage.
Commuters in Chapel Hill also saw heavy delays Tuesday morning after two fallen trees blocked much of the busy roadway on NC-54.
The westbound area between Manning Drive and S. Columbia Street was closed for several hours while crews worked to remove the trees.
The risk of severe storms capable of producing a brief tornado or damaging winds remains marginal for areas from Raleigh to the coast Tuesday, according to Spectrum News 1 meteorologists.
A Flood Watch also remains in effect through the evening.