Severe weather possible on Christmas Eve in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Carolinas are preparing for a stormy Christmas Eve as a weather system will bring heavy rain and thunderstorms to the Charlotte area Thursday afternoon. 

First Warn Forecaster Larry Sprinkle said there will be scattered showers across the area Christmas Eve morning before the heavier precipitation moves in by the afternoon. The good news is Charlotte’s threat of severe weather remains low, while areas east of the Queen City have a higher risk of damaging winds and flooding. Chief meteorologist Brad Panovich said there could be some tornadoes in eastern North Carolina.

“Early tomorrow afternoon, around 1 o’clock, we’ll start to see some heavy rain from Spartanburg, South Carolina all the way into the North Carolina mountains,” Sprinkle said. 

Rain and thunderstorms will move into the Charlotte area by 3 p.m. Thursday. This line of storms will produce very heavy rainfall and gusty winds as is moves east toward Charlotte.  

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“By 5 o’clock, this is not a good sign,” Sprinkle said. “We’ll have some high winds and heavy rain. The storms down around Chester, South Carolina could have high winds, lightning and heavy rain.”

The First Warn Storm Team projects Charlotte could see over an inch of rain during the Christmas Eve storms. Once the storms pass, there will be a chance of snow in the mountains on Christmas Day.

By 7 p.m., the heaviest storms will be east of Charlotte, affecting areas near Albemarle, Rockingham and Cheraw, South Carolina.

Christmas Day will start below freezing for most of the area, with Charlotte’s forecast high only expected to reach 38 degrees. 

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For the latest First Warn forecast and weather alerts on your phone, download the WCNC Charlotte Mobile App.