Mt. Airy, NC -- People in Surry County were wondering what hit them after storms rolled through Tuesday afternoon.
News 2's Liz Crawford spent Tuesday evening in Surry County tracking the storms. People called the storms unexpected and powerful.
In Mt. Airy, the skies were blue and then all of a sudden, black and a torrential rain pummeled the town for a short time, before blue skies were back again. That's exactly what made these fast-moving storms so hard to track.
"I was working so I looked out the window and it was really coming down sort of sideways, really heavy and it'd slow up and then it'd start up again, just big down pours," said Sarah Sampson, who witnessed the storm.
"Beautiful weather like this and then all of a sudden it just blew in," said Ryan Zimmerman who had been shopping downtown with his wife and baby.
"I wasn't expecting it cause I was surprised it was raining cause it had been so pretty all day," added Sampson.
Right after speaking with folks in Mt. Airy, News 2 captured a time lapse of the sky changing over Pilot Mountain. Not soon after, the storm took a strict path north back to Mt. Airy.
Earlier today, News 2's Liz Crawford spoke with the Director of Surry County EMS, John Shelton. Shelton reported there was a lot of hail mixed in these storms as well.
Anytime severe weather happens, you can track the storms for yourself with your smart phone. Download the News 2 Weather App in the digtriad or iPhone market. You can follow the storm as it gets to your neighborhood. Search for WFMY.
WFMY News 2, Surry County EMS