Charlotte can wait showers to continue early Tuesday afternoon, with a “small but possible” chance of severe storms late in the day and at night, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
Any storms that develop are predicted to be much weaker than powerful storms Wednesday and Thursday spawned two tornadoes in Gaston County and two in the North Carolina mountains, NWS meteorologist Justin Lane said. Two deaths were reported during the storms, one in Gaston County and one in Caldwell County.
Lane said severe thunderstorms would appear south of Charlotte on Tuesday, if at all.
“There is a potential, probably at 5 or 6 p.m. and then 9 or 10 p.m., but more so in South Carolina,” Lane said. And the storm threat south of the city “is only a marginal chance of that,” he said.
The NWS included Mecklenburg and surrounding counties in a hazardous weather advisory at 4:10 a.m. Tuesday that warned of possible damaging winds and hail later Tuesday.
“Numerous showers and scattered thunderstorms are expected this afternoon and evening,” according to the bulletin. “Some of the storms could become severe, with damaging winds and large hail being the main threats.
“Isolated heavy rainfall is also possible,” NWS forecasters said in the warning.
The NWS also included the mountains of the Carolinas and upstate South Carolina in the bulletin.
The heavy rain that fell in Charlotte on Tuesday morning may not ease until 1 p.m., according to the NWS Charlotte forecast. The chance of rain was 60%, followed by fog in the afternoon.
Charlotte has an 80% chance of showers and thunderstorms returning Wednesday, the forecast showed.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
