Apr. 18--Thunderstorms that raced across the Charlotte metro region Monday afternoon were strong enough to knock down trees and power lines, but too quick to drop any meaningful rain on the parched area.

The storms, riding along a cold front that will return more seasonable temperatures to the area today, felled trees in at least a half-dozen counties and kept utility workers busy late into Monday evening.

At the peak of the storms, Duke Energy reported 20,000 power outages, including 4,000 in the Charlotte area.

Gusts caused trees to fall on homes in Cornelius and Davidson.

Authorities said they are investigating whether damage to two homes in Rowan County was caused by a thunderstorm microburst or a tornado.

About 2 p.m., heavy wind and rain swept through the county, said Frank Thomason, director of Rowan County Emergency Services. By 3 p.m. about 7,000 Duke Energy customers countywide were without power, he said.

The thunderstorm quickly moved from the northwest area of the county, near the Cleveland area, to the southeast near Stanly County by about 4 p.m., he said.

It ripped roofing and shingles off two homes at Old Beatty Ford Road and Stokes Ferry Road in southeastern Rowan County near High Rock Lake.

"It was just a matter of a minute or so, and it came and went very quickly," Thomason said. No one was injured.

Thomason said the winds may have been a microburst, a concentrated gust that is isolated in a thunderstorm and can cause damage similar to a tornado.

National Weather Service radar estimated between 1 and 2 inches of rain fell in the Albemarle area, but most areas received far less.

Charlotte is more than 7 inches below normal in precipitation this year.