High Wind in Polk Mountains, North Carolina

As Tropical Storm Irma moved north/northwest across the Florida Panhandle and southwest Georgia, strong winds developed over the mountains of southwest North Carolina. Although gusts only occasionally exceeded 50 mph in most locations, the prolonged nature of the event, combined with saturated soils resulting from heavy rainfall resulted in many trees falling on roads, power lines, vehicles, and structures. Many were without power for a day or more. While the most significant damage was confined to these areas, there were also reports of significant tree damage across much of the remainder of the North Carolina mountains above 4000 feet or so, where winds likely gusted in excess of 60 mph fairly frequently.