VIDEO: There was widespread damage across our area Thursday as severe storms whipped through the region.
Downed power lines shut off power in Matthews four hours, and crews worked through the night to repair the damage.
It was a storm resident Brett Kiker will not forget.
"I was right upstairs,” Kiker said. “It got very loud and windy and rained. I just kind of sat in the middle of the room and waited for it to pass."
The damage may have been caused by a tornado, which was the same one that appeared to get picked up on our radar in Pineville minutes earlier.
"Then you see the swirling winds coming right through the parking lot and debris just flying everywhere," said Damon Barron, a lumberyard owner.
The fire chief is convinced a tornado touched down in Matthews.