Showers likely to stay overnight in Charlotte area after storms bring tornado warnings

Observer staff reports
·2 min read

This story was updated at 9:55 p.m.

Heavy rains arrived in the Charlotte area late Thursday afternoon, prompting the National Weather Service to issue severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for parts of the region.

By 10 p.m., all warnings had expired for the immediate Charlotte area.

According to the NWS forecast, there’s a “40 percent chance of showers” for the Charlotte area Thursday night into Friday, with a low around 64 in Charlotte. Some wind gusts could be as strong as 22 mph.

The most intense rain from the storm system was concentrated in the mountains and foothills to the west of Charlotte.

In Chester County, S.C., tornado warning sirens went off, The (Rock Hill) Herald reported.

Chester, Lancaster, and Chesterfield counties in South Carolina also saw large hail and winds of up to 70 miles per hour, according to WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich.

The National Weather Service earlier issued a tornado warning for Cherokee County and Cleveland County, N.C.

At 7:20 p.m., the NWS office in Raleigh tweeted that severe storms would move through the southern Piedmont along a northeast track over the next few hours. Damaging winds are the main threat, but the NWS would not rule out an isolated tornado.

A few showers could linger into Friday morning, according to Observer news partner WBTV, but drier air is expected to filter in quickly. Clouds should make way to a mostly sunny sky, and the temperatures will climb into low 80s.

Thunderstorms remain a possibility after 5 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Weather outlook from WBTV for Friday, March 26, 2021
Weather outlook from WBTV for Friday, March 26, 2021

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