Road explodes, sending debris flying onto roof after lightning strike, NC photos show

A lightning strike caused a North Carolina road to “explode,” sending debris flying into the air, officials said.

Photos show pavement was left crumbled on Hatley-Burris Road, roughly 40 miles east of Charlotte.

“Road debris landed on the roof of a nearby home,” the Oakboro Police Department wrote on Facebook.

Officers said it happened after lightning struck a tree and traveled through the pavement on Wednesday, July 20.

“When lightning hits a tree like this the heat is so intense it flash steams the sap & water which causes a steam explosion and blows the bark off,” Brad Panovich, a WCNC meteorologist, wrote on Facebook. “In this case, the lightning went into the roots and spread underneath the road flash steaming any moisture causing the explosion.”

The same day as the strike, forecasters had predicted that places near Charlotte could experience strong winds. As a storm rolled through, social media users reported being jolted and hearing a boom.

“It was the loudest strike I have ever heard in my life,” one person wrote on the Stanly County police department’s Facebook page.

Another person commented: “Oh my it scared me so bad I jumped up.”

As of July 21, Hatley-Burris Road was closed near the intersection with Trotters Ridge Road. Police didn’t have a timeline for the road’s reopening and said “power, cable and phone service” also were impacted.

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