1 killed after intense storm brings flooding, high winds, possible tornado

CHARLOTTE — A powerful storm hit the Carolinas bringing high winds, flooding, and tornado warnings.

There was a possible tornado in Catawba County where one person died because of the storm. Four others were hurt.

The sprawling weather system continued to push east late afternoon. About 2.5 inches of rain fell in Charlotte during the storm, which led to widespread flooding.

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Tens of thousands of people were left without power after the storm’s strong winds downed trees and power lines.

Click here for Duke Energy’s outage map.

The storm moved out of the area by 6 p.m. leaving calm conditions, however, the threat of flooding remained.

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>>Many school districts have adjusted schedules on Wednesday. Click here to see an updated list.

Watch the latest forecast in the video below.

Tuesday night's forecast with Meteorologist John Ahrens

UPDATES:

7 p.m.

Flood warning is in effect until Wednesday morning for several counties.

Flash flood warnings for Cabarrus until 10 p.m.

Flash flood warning for Iredell, Statesville until 9 p.m.

5:30 p.m.

5 p.m.

A flash flood warning remains in effect for Gaston, Mecklenburg, and York counties until 7 p.m.

5 p.m.

Tornado watches for our area have expired.

3:45 p.m.

A Tornado Watch is still in effect until 6 p.m. for the eastern counties in our coverage area.

3:30 p.m.

Several areas in Charlotte were flooded.

3:30 p.m.

Channel 9′s Dave Faherty is in Catawba County where residents told Faherty a tornado struck around noon. The National Weather Service has not yet confirmed it was a tornado. (See video below)

3:25 p.m.

Severe thunderstorm warnings for Chesterfield and Lancaster counties until 4:15 p.m.

3 p.m.

One person confirmed dead and at least two others were seriously hurt in one Claremont neighborhood after a storm rolled through the area.

2:20 p.m.

According to Duke Energy’s outage map, more than 60,000 customers were without power in Mecklenburg County.

East Independence Boulevard was closed in both directions due to powerlines down between Windsor Square Drive and Matthews-Mint Hill Road.

2 p.m.

Deputies and first responders were going from home to home searching for victims in Claremont after a storm blew through the area Tuesday. Multiple people were injured in the Cindi Lane and Evening Drive area off of Catawba Road.

1:35 p.m.

Interstate 85 North was blocked near Exit 23 (Main Street) in Gastonia. Interstate 40 East reopened near Oxford School Road after a tree fell across both lanes of the interstate.

The City of Claremont posted on Facebook that the bridge on Bethany Church Road was out due to it being underwater.

1 p.m.

A tree fell on a home on Saint Francis Drive in north Charlotte. Charlotte Fire was at the home as crews worked on the roof. A blue tarp covered the damage and crews were cutting up the tree.

Paramedics said one person had non-life-threatening injuries.

12:45 p.m.

Photos from the Town of Dallas show a tree fell on some power lines along Robinson Clemmer Road.

In Cotswold, a large tree fell across Westbury Road.

In Burke County, according to Burke County EMS, multiple trees and powerlines came down in Burke County. Officials said Lost Corner Road at Bost Road is flooded and impassable.

12 p.m.

It’s already quite windy, but heavy downpours will bring in the stronger wind gusts of over 40 mph.

Rain began early Tuesday morning and grew heavier as the day went on. The heaviest rainfall is expected in the afternoon and could add up to 3 inches.

The strongest storms are expected to move into western counties such as Cleveland, Gaston, Burke, and Lincoln counties by noon.

Charlotte is expected to get about 2 to 3 inches of rain.

The expected totals will likely lead to flooding concerns for the region, from Charlotte to areas farther west. The worst weather is expected to hit Charlotte between noon and 2 p.m. and will move from west to east.

The storms will continue moving east through the afternoon.

The wind gusts will likely lead to power outages and downed trees.

There’s also a brief tornado risk from Charlotte to the eastern part of the region as the line of storms races through the area. These threats wind down as we head into the late afternoon and evening. Winds will remain gusty, but conditions will improve after 5 p.m.

Preparing for the storm

Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones opened an emergency center in anticipation of the severe weather. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Operations Center will be staffed throughout the duration of the storm.

“We are expecting a strong weather event tomorrow, thunderstorm, several inches of rain, we will likely see some downed trees and power outages,” Jones said.

Along Little Sugar Creek Greenway Monday, Channel 9 observed crews removing several piles of wood to prevent a blockage.

Debris was also being cleared out of the greenway, which houses one of more than 100,000 storm drains in Charlotte. Mecklenburg County Stormwater Services provided advice on what residents should do if they see a blockage in their neighborhood.

“We’ve been pretty proactive in getting rid of all the blockages from the last storm. So this was pretty much the last one that we knew of. And so, if you see a blockage in your neighborhood, call 311, and we’ll take a look and see if we can get out there,” said Senior Communication Specialist with Mecklenburg County Stormwater Services, John Wendel.

Lincoln County

Swift water crews prepare for storms

Channel 9′s Ken Lemon learned from emergency officials in Lincoln County that the ground was still soaked from the weekend’s rain. They expect wind speeds to reach 55 mph, and some residents told Lemon they’re concerned about the huge trees populating many Lincolnton neighborhoods.

“It’s kinda scary,” Jody Link, who lives in a community off South Aspen Street in Lincolnton. She’s worried about the trees falling on her home.

Assistant Fire Chief Isaiah Herndon with the South Fork Volunteer Fire Department said they are preparing to respond to downed tree calls.

“We have chain saws that we keep fueled, the chains sharpened,” Herndon said.

Herndon says a heavy rain could force the South Fork River over the bridge.

Emergency officials ask for people to stay alert and watch the weather.

(WATCH BELOW: Woman describes surviving tornado after wind flips her car near Charleston)

Woman describes surviving tornado after wind flips her car near Charleston

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