Storms with ‘damaging winds’ expected in Charlotte, NWS says. Here’s what we know.
Storms with “damaging wind gusts” are expected in the Charlotte metro area on Wednesday, the National Weather Service warned.
“A band of showers and thunderstorms is expected to develop along and ahead of a strong cold front that will move across the region later today,” NWS meteorologists said in a hazardous weather outlook bulletin early Wednesday.
“Some of the thunderstorms may be strong enough to produce damaging wind gusts, mainly over western North Carolina and the northern part of Upstate South Carolina, including the Charlotte metro area,” according to the alert.
Thunderstorms were expected to cross the mountains between daybreak and the afternoon, before rumbling across wide swaths of the western Carolinas into the early evening, NWS meteorologists wrote.
“Gusty winds, cloud-to-ground lightning, and brief downpours will accompany the storms,” according to the NWS bulletin. “Locally heavy rainfall will also be possible, mainly over the northwest Piedmont of North Carolina.
The storms are forecast to head east of the Charlotte region by mid-evening, NWS meteorologists said.
The rest of the week should be all sunshine, with unseasonably cooler temperatures, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast at 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Highs are predicted to drop from 80 degrees on Wednesday to 74 on Thursday, before climbing to 76 on Friday, 78 on Saturday and 81 on Sunday, NWS meteorologists said.
Next Monday and Tuesday should remain sunny, but with highs expected to climb to a respective 84 and 85 degrees, forecasters said.
There is a marginal risk of severe storms today, with damaging wind gusts being the main threat. Also a slight risk of excessive rainfall in the NC Northwest Piedmont. A cold front will usher in cooler and drier wx tomorrow and on through the end of the week. #ncwx #scwx #gawx pic.twitter.com/GpzSCIKnyO
— NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) September 22, 2021
