BOONE/BANNER ELK, NC (October 21, 2018) — The High Country experienced high winds Saturday night and Sunday morning. The lower elevations of Caldwell County even experienced gusty winds overnight.
Grandfather Mountain reported a wind gust of 101.7 at 01:00 this morning.
The Woolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk had to be cancelled Sunday due inclement weather and wind damage.
Blue Ridge Energy line technicians worked throughout Saturday night and Sunday morning to restore power for nearly 4,000 members. A cold front pushing through the cooperative’s service area created high winds that brought down trees and limbs, damaging power lines and breaking power poles. As of 11 am Sunday, crews continued working to restore the final 31 members.
Winds from the cold front began causing issues just before midnight. The electric system in Watauga County was most heavily damaged, with 32 different locations affected leaving 3,573 members without power. Twenty locations were damaged in Ashe County, impacting 235 members, while 5 locations were damaged in Alleghany affecting 112 members. In Caldwell one member was affected, although that number increased to 19 Sunday morning.