Severe storms bring quick tornado warnings, heavy rain to Charlotte area

CHARLOTTE — A tornado watch and several severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for the Charlotte region Sunday as a severe storm system rolled through the Carolinas.

The first round of storms moved west to east through the area starting around 8:30 a.m., quickly bringing tornado warnings and reports of trees falling. A tornado watch is in effect until Sunday afternoon.

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• Severe Weather Center 9 says most of the severe threats have passed as of 11 a.m. Keep an eye on the WSOC Weather app for future storm chances on Sunday.
• At about 10:45 a.m., the main storm threats moved east of the Charlotte region. The National Weather Service hasn’t confirmed if any tornadoes touched down, however, we have received reports of damage because of high winds. The tornado warning for Anson and Richmond counties was canceled at about 10:50 a.m.
• A tornado warning was issued for Anson and Richmond counties until 11:00 a.m.
• Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, and Iredell counties were no longer under tornado warnings as of 10:15 a.m. The severe weather threat is starting to drop west of Charlotte, but lingering damage is still being reported throughout the morning.
• Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Division Chief Robert Graham told Channel 9 that first responders are getting calls for damage, including trees falling. Duke Energy is reporting power outages across the region. Graham said there have been a few car crashes on freeways, and power lines have been damaged.
• A tornado warning was issued for Stanly County at 10 a.m.
• The National Weather Service extended a tornado warning for Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Rowan counties until 10:30 a.m. A severe thunderstorm warning was extended for most of the Charlotte region until 10:30 a.m.
• The storm is continuing to push east, and a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Anson, Richmond, and Stanly counties until 10:30 a.m.
• A tornado warning has been issued for Mecklenburg County until 10 a.m.

• At around 9:10 a.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued and extended for Alexander, Caldwell, Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, and Rowan counties until 10:30 a.m.

• A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Mecklenburg, Rowan, Cabarrus, and Union counties until 10:15 a.m.

• Charlotte-Douglas International Airport reported 487 flights delayed and 18 flights canceled at about 8:50 a.m. The FAA said travel is likely to be impacted across the East Coast, and ground stops are likely at CLT through Sunday morning.
• A severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Lancaster County in South Carolina until 9:45 a.m.
• A tornado warning was issued for York County at 8:35 a.m. until 9:15 a.m.
• At about 8:20 a.m., a severe thunderstorm warning was issued for Chester and York counties in South Carolina. Minutes later, another severe thunderstorm warning was issued for multiple counties in North Carolina, west of Charlotte, until 9:45 a.m.

Expected Timeline:

• 8-9 a.m.: A line of storms is expected to bring heavy rain to the mountains and foothills.
• 9-10 a.m.: Those storms are expected to move towards the metro Charlotte area. Rain will likely be heavy at times. Be on the lookout for flash flood alerts, and standing water in roadways.
• 3 p.m.: The first round of storms are expected to move out of our area. Rain and a few storms are possible behind that, but it may not be as severe due to the first round likely using most of the energy available in the atmosphere.

In total, we could see an additional 1-3″ of rain, so we could see some isolated flooding concerns in typical problem spots.

Travel will also be majorly impacted as the storms push through. The Federal Aviation Administration said ground stops are likely at Charlotte Douglas International Airport due to weather Sunday morning.

We’ll update this article throughout the day as weather conditions develop. Check back for updates on what you need to know.

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