North Carolina woman dies when tree falls on her SUV during severe storms

The severe weather produced more than 150 storm reports Tuesday, including a tornado in Texas. However, the majority of the problems came along the Carolina coast with wind-driven rain storming sideways.

DURHAM, N.C. – A North Carolina woman has died after a large tree fell on her car as severe storms hit the city, police said.

Durham police said 78-year-old Donna Warsaw of Hillsborough died at the scene at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. Investigators said the tree fell as she entered the intersection at Morehead Avenue and Anderson Street.

Police also confirmed a 32-car pileup on I-40 at 5:45 p.m. It caused hours of traffic delays, but no details were shared about injuries or deaths. The major crash occurred during severe weather.

Schools will remain closed for students on Wednesday due to the hazardous road conditions and widespread power outages in Durham County.

The severe weather produced more than 150 storm reports Tuesday, including a tornado in Texas. However, the majority of the problems came along the Carolina coast with wind-driven rain storming sideways.

The Carolinas to the Georgia line got the brunt of the storms with several dozen reports of trees down and power outages. More than 70,000 were still without power Wednesday morning in North Carolina alone.

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The winds were also wicked in Columbia, South Carolina, as the airport recorded its highest-ever wind report of 88 mph.

On Wednesday, severe weather is expected to invade the Upper Midwest with Duluth to Minneapolis in the tornado risk zone. This threat develops late afternoon into the evening, the FOX Forecast Center said.

Thunderstorms are expected to develop across northern Minnesota early to mid-afternoon near the cold front. As the front develops eastward, storms will increase with southward extent toward central Minnesota and into northern Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the evening. 

Primary threats will be damaging winds and large hail.

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