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Weather Aware: Tornado watch issued for several counties in the Carolinas
Tuesday is the first Weather Aware Day of 2024. There is a chance for strong wind gusts, downed trees, power outages, flooding and even tornadoes.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. â Tuesday is a day to be Weather Aware.
A tornado watch has been issued for several counties in the greater Charlotte region. In North Carolina, the tornado watch is in effect for Cabarrus, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Rowan and Union counties. In South Carolina, the tornado watch is in effect for Cherokee, Chester, Greenwood, Laurens, Union, and York counties.
The watch is in effect for these counties until 6 p.m.
There is a chance for strong to severe thunderstorms, wind gusts up to 50 mph, flooding rains ranging from 1 to 4 inches and even tornadoes across the Carolinas and Charlotte area.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed an executive order to declare a State of Emergency ahead of Tuesday’s severe weather threat.
This is a prime set up for downed trees and power outages.
Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said there’s a growing concern that warmer, more humid air is surging ahead of the main line, which could increase the severe risk for both wind and tornado threats in the Charlotte area.
DAMAGE IN THE CAROLIINAS: See the latest damage reports here
The most recent forecast shows the worst of the weather arrives around the early afternoon, and all severe threats diminishing by the evening.
Winds
There is a Wind Advisory starting at 10 a.m. through 10 p.m. Winds will be driving out of the south at 20 mph to 30 mph throughout most of the day with peaks up to and over 50 mph into the afternoon. These gusts will be the strongest along a line of strong storms capable of downing trees and causing power outages. Soil is already saturated, and this will allow for shallow rooted trees to fall easier than a dry soil where the roots are locked.
Around 11:20 p.m., wind gusts up to 46 mph were reported at Bank of America Stadium.
Winds could be as high as 60 mph in the mountains, since the higher up, the less friction there is preventing winds — that’s led to a High Wind Warning. Peak winds are expected between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. for the Charlotte area.
RELATED: Weather IQ: What causes wind?
For the latest weather alerts, download the WCNC Charlotte mobile app and enable push notifications.
Flooding
Since Dec. 9, Charlotte has had more than 7 inches of rain.
This has helped with the drought but flooding will happen quicker than it did a couple of weeks ago. Rain began in the morning, with about half an inch of rain already. The heaviest rain will come with a thunderstorm threat in the early to mid afternoon.
Right now the best case scenario is 1-2 inches of rain but some models are suggesting 3 to 5 inches are possible with this system. This means quick rising water and a flash flood threat on top of everything else.
Severe storms and tornado threat
Severe storms will be along a line called a Q.L.C.S. (Quasi-Linear Convective System). Lines like these are prone to the leading edge to bring a swath of the strongest winds of the day and even spin-up tornadoes in the notches.
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It is because of this and an ample amount of wind shear that there is an elevated threat for wind damage and tornadoes. The worst of the weather will be east and south east of Charlotte, as the later timing brings more favorable and unstable conditions.
Areas in the red above depict a 30% risk of damaging winds and the hashed marks represent a significant threat which means the possibility of widespread damage. The 10% tornado threat is high with also a significant designation, meaning there could be multiple tornadoes southeast of Charlotte. A tornado watch is likely on Tuesday.
Timing
Rain started in the morning, with some wintry mix in the mountains initially. There will be less rain in our eastern and southeastern counties to start but this will keep the instability higher for these zones. Winds could soon be gusting up to 35-50 mph across the area, and the worst of the weather will arrive into the afternoon. Notice how the line below progresses.
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Final notes
The ingredients are all lining up for multiple threats throughout the day. Gusty winds will be with us all day, widespread rain causing gradual flooding. Downed trees could lead to multiple power outages and a line of severe thunderstorms is where the worst of the weather will move through. On top of that, dangerous lightning will add one more threat. This is a day to stay weather aware and try to avoid travel (especially late morning and early afternoon around the Charlotte area). Stay safe and we will keep you in the know.