Live Blog: Damaging winds moving through Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A line of strong-to-severe thunderstorms are forecast to move through Charlotte and the surrounding Carolina communities Friday. The storms will contain a risk for damaging winds, isolated tornadoes, and a flood threat, which is amplified by saturated grounds and swollen rivers cause by days of prolonged rainfall.

This is a live blog from WCNC Charlotte and the First Warn Storm Team. Refresh this page for real-time severe weather updates. We will be live coverage on WCNC Charlotte and streaming here throughout the evening.

All across the Charlotte metro and the greater Piedmont region, numerous trees have fallen because of ongoing severe thunderstorms.

Power outages have been reported as a result of downed tress and powerlines.

Damaging winds picked up outdoor furniture, including in one location where a trampoline was pinned in the trees.

A Tornado Warning has been issued for Chester County, South Carolina until 5:15 p.m.

A severe thunderstorm capable of producing damaging winds over 60 mph is moving through Mecklenburg County and the Charlotte metro.

The National Weather Service has extended the tornado warning into Mecklenburg County, including Charlotte Douglas International Airport and uptown Charlotte, and additional parts of Gaston County, including Gastonia and Belmont.

The current warning will continue until 4:30 p.m. and could be extended.

A Tornado Warning has been issued for northern York, southern Gaston, southeastern Cleveland, and parts of Cherokee counties until 4 p.m.

The severe thunderstorm is capable of producing a tornado and damaging winds as it moves east at 40 mph towards the Charlotte metro.

Locations inside the warning include, but are not limited to:

• Crowder’s Mountain
• King’s Mountain
• Bowling Green
• Clover

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning has been issued for upstate South Carolina, and the southern portion of Cleveland County, North Carolina.

The warning goes until 3:45 p.m., and could be expanded as the line of severe storms move east at 40 mph. The storms are capable of producing damaging winds and damaging hail upwards of one inch.

The same line of storms cause limbs to blow off of trees as it moved through Greenville County, South Carolina.

WCNC Charlotte First Warn Storm Team Meteorologist Chris Mulcahy says a forecasted “bowing” line of thunderstorms “shows that damaging straight-line winds are a legitimate concern.”

Futurecast radar and weather models show the line of storms moving through Charlotte after 5 p.m. and throughout the region between 4 and 7 p.m.

1:20 p.m.: The National Weather Service has issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Charlotte. The counties under the watch include, but are not limited to:

• Mecklenburg
• Burke
• Cleveland
• Iredell
• Rutherford
• Cabarrus
• Lincoln
• Uion,
• Catawba
• Gaston
• McDowell
• Rowan 
• York
• Chester
• Chesterfield

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms through 8 p.m.

A Severe Thunderstorm is defined as a storm producing 60 mph damaging winds and/or 0.75″ size hail, which is equivalent to a quarter coin.

“Atmosphere in vicinity of the stalled front  should continue to destabilize with visible satellite imagery showing mostly clear skies across much of the Carolinas,” a forecast bulletin from the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. The bulletin came as forecasters prepared to issue the Severe Thunderstorm Watch.

The communities should monitor the weather. Individuals should make sure they have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service, including access to a weather radio, the WCNC Charlotte mobile apps, and other resources.