FRANKLIN

Power lines and trees were knocked down when intense thunderstorms marched through Western Tidewater late Tuesday afternoon and into early evening. Affected were much of the residential area of Franklin near downtown.

“We experienced not tornadoes but down bursts,” said Eswar Iyer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield. Down bursts, he explained, are mainly straight line winds, whereas tornadoes go over a much smaller area, though it can be a long path. As of 10 p.m., no more thunderstorms were expected in the night, but there’s a chance tomorrow afternoon and evening.

Around that same time, Frank A. Davis of Gardener Street off Armory Drive said that electricity had not yet been restored. Trees in his front yard had fallen down or, as with a neighbor in a nearby cul-de-sac, snapped off.

Lt. Tommy Potter, spokesman for the Isle of Wight County Sheriff’s Office, responded to call that power lines and trees in the Beaver Dam area of Carrsville in Southern Isle of Wight County also reportedly experienced damage. He added that the area near the Airway shopping center on Carrsville Highway had been likewise affected. Residents should expect that power restoration will not be soon as there have been significant outages.

The Tidewater News will continue to report as more information becomes available.

If you have photos of places affected by the storms, please send them at actual size to editor@thetidewaternews.com.