Tornado warning active for 5 Charlotte-area counties

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Five Charlotte-area counties are under a tornado watch through 5 p.m. Thursday evening. Cleveland County, northwestern Gaston County, southwestern Catawba County, western Lincoln County, and southeastern Burke Counties are all under the warning issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).

Residents in these areas are urged to seek shelter now. Ensure you have a battery-powered radio, supplies, and chargers in your safe zone.

The WCNC Charlotte Weather Team wants you to stay safe and informed when there are Weather Aware days like Thursday. Continue to pay close attention to our newscasts, our app and our streaming platforms when severe weather is in your area.

The Charlotte region will be at risk for two waves of severe weather Thursday and Friday, with the threat of damaging winds, isolated tornadoes and flash flooding, according to Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich. 

The first wave is expected to arrive Thursday afternoon and evening as a front pushes into the Carolinas. Panovich said this setup has him concerned about storms that do develop becoming severe.

“The problem is we have warm, humid air coming from the south,” Panovich said. “What happens is later today, if the atmosphere destabilizes (which means sunshine), and we’re seeing some of that, down here in South Carolina, storms that develop along this front could be severe, especially closer to the mountains.”

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Panovich said most of western North Carolina and South Carolina are under a low or medium risk for severe weather Thursday, with the medium risk extending toward Hickory, North Carolina. Panovich said storms that move into the foothills and I-40 corridor could be strong Thursday evening around dinnertime. 

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“I do think primarily, it will be a wind threat,” Panovich said. “Let’s look at tornado probabilities. It’s still 2%, but I think that’s a little low. I actually think it’s more like 5% in the area west of Charlotte to Hickory to Asheville and down to Greenville, South Carolina.”

Panovich said heavy rain will move into the North Carolina mountains by 2 p.m. Thursday. These storms will produce downpours that are capable of causing flash flooding in addition to any severe weather. 

“Flash flooding is going to be an issue because throughout the day, you’re going to see waves and waves of precipitation and thunderstorms,” Panovich said. 

Panovich expects storms to move toward Hickory around 6 p.m., and there’s a chance some become severe. By 9 p.m., those storms will move into the Charlotte area and along I-77 from Mount Airy, North Carolina, to Columbia, South Carolina. 

“After dinnertime tonight, that’s the timeframe to watch,” he said. “There is a little bit of a hint of some rotational tracks there at 9 p.m. Honestly, that’s not off the charts, that doesn’t look anything as bad as it did on Monday as far as rotation.” 

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Two tornadoes touched down in the Charlotte area during Monday’s severe weather outbreak, including one near Reedy Creek in Mecklenburg County. Friday’s storms are more likely to be severe due to the timing, Panovich said. 

“We’ll get some heating of the day and it gets a little stuck,” Panovich said of the line. “That’s a squall line that looks strong, maybe to severe, maybe some supercells developing in eastern North Carolina.”

The severe weather threat on Friday will be east of I-77 toward the Coast, Panovich said. Back toward Charlotte, Panovich expects some pop-up storms capable of producing hail but he doesn’t anticipate they’ll be particularly severe.