Photos: Strong winds damage church steeple in North Charleston

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – A church in North Charleston lost its steeple as strong winds blew through the Lowcountry early Monday morning.

Part of the steeple at Cooper River Baptist Church toppled as strong gusts blew through the area behind a strong cold front.

The National Weather Service in Charleston recorded gusts up to 62 mph at the Charleston International Airport around 5:30 a.m.; the strong winds caused numerous trees to topple and power outages across the area during the early morning hours.

Gusty winds are expected to continue through the early afternoon.