Severe weather leaves downed power lines, hail in wake

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Severe weather rolled through our area Thursday afternoon, bringing rain, hail, and wind. In its wake: downed power lines, trees, and damage to property.

WCNC Charlotte tracked the severe weather as storms moved through. Outside of our area, radar indicated tornadic activity in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties in the Upstate of South Carolina, well before the stronger lines hit the area. Around 3:30 p.m., we got initial reports of damage in the viewing area.

York County deputies first alerted residents in Clover, South Carolina to downed power lines and a tree in a roadway. In a tweet sent out at 3:20 p.m., YCSO said the lines were down near Lawrence Road and Beamguard Road. A tree was also blocking part of the road, with power dark in the immediate area.

POWER LINES DOWN: Power lines have been reported down near Lawrence Rd. at Beamguard Rd. in Clover. A tree is also blocking a part of the road. Power is out in the area. Do not approach, touch or move power lines. Treat all power lines as live. #Traffic #YCSONews #YoCoWX pic.twitter.com/BldhB49E2u

— YCSO_SC (@YCSO_SC) March 18, 2021

We also got reports of damage and other severe events from viewers on social media; Jake Lackey shared hail hitting his backyard in Lincolnton to chief meteorologist Brad Panovich via Twitter.

Jack Herring, a viewer in Charlotte’s Myers Park neighborhood, sent a video of menacing clouds in the skies over the Queen City.

A Tornado Watch would give way to a Tornado Warning, with much of southern Mecklenburg County affected. WCNC Charlotte continues to track the latest developments in our area. We also continue to track damage reports from viewers and officials; stay tuned for updates.