‘The whole house was shaking.’ 80-mph tornado crossed I-77 at Lake Norman, NWS says.

Joe Marusak
·6 min read
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EDITOR’S NOTE: THIS STORY WAS UPDATED AFTER THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ON SUNDAY, APRIL 24, 2023, CONFIRMED THAT AN EF-0 TORNADO FORMED ON LAKE NORMAN IN SOUTHERN IREDELL COUNTY ON SATURDAY, APRIL 23, 2023.

An 80-mph tornado formed over Lake Norman Saturday morning, crossed Interstate 77 and narrowly missed Mooresville Middle School as it snapped trees along a nearly 8-mile path, according to the National Weather Service.

The EF-0 tornado emerged at 7:27 a.m. in a line of severe thunderstorms with hail that smacked Gaston, Lincoln, northern Mecklenburg and southern Iredell counties, meteorologists in the NWS office in Greer, South Carolina, told The Charlotte Observer.

EF-0 is the weakest of six tornado classifications on NOAA’s Enhanced Fujita Scale for tornado intensity and damage. NOAA is short for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

After forming 3 miles northwest of Davidson in southern Iredell County, the tornado barreled onshore at the Davidson College lake campus, hurled picnic tables into the lake and downed large trees, an NWS damage survey team found Sunday.

“Numerous spots along the shore between the Lake Campus and Interstate 77 saw snapped tree trunks or large branches,” according to a report by the team. “One large poplar tree was uprooted and damaged other large trees as it fell.”

A fence and a well head also were damaged.

The tornado crossed I-77 at about 7:30 a.m. and leveled numerous large, healthy tree branches between Langtree Road and Blackwelder Farm Drive, according to the report.,

Near Mooresville Middle School, a fence collapsed and a tree was uprooted, NWS meteorologists said. The team found uprooted trees between Linwood Road and Teeter Road and determined that the tornado dissipated at 7:39 a.m. in Rowan County.

The tornado traveled 7.79 miles and was 30 yards wide, according to the NWS report.

No injuries were reported from the storms.

Storm damage reports

On Saturday, the NWS received a report of trees felled on Newbury Drive, off Faith Road, NWS meteorologist Jake Wimberley told the Observer.

That’s just east of N.C. 115 and unincorporated Mount Mourne at the lake and along the path of the tornado confirmed Sunday.

About eight and a half miles to the northwest, the NWS received a report of a structure collapse on Preston Road, Wimberley said. That’s off Cornelius Road in Mooresville on the lake.

“The whole house was shaking, and hail was just a flying,” Mark Davis, who lives in that general area, said on NextDoor Saturday morning. “Thank the good lord that we are safe, but I also want to say I hope all the neighbors are as well. Prayers sent to everyone around me.”

The NWS urged anyone who saw tornadic-like weather to fill out an online StormReport.

Another round of storms emerged just before 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The NWS first warned of hail and 40-mph winds in Shelby and Boiling Springs in Cleveland County and Cherryville in Gaston County.

An hour later, half-inch hail and 40-mph winds were possible in Cornelius, Mooresville and Gastonia, NWS forecasters said. Winds and showers returned to Mooresville just before 3 p.m., after a day of sunshine. Storms were expected until 3:15 p.m., according to the NWS.

Lake Norman tornado warning

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Lake Norman area Saturday morning, including the towns of Davidson, Cornelius and Mooresville.

A tornado warning means a tornado is imminent and people should seek shelter in a sturdy structure.

The warning area extended from just west of the towns and Interstate 77 on the lake all the way east to Interstate 85 and China Grove in Rowan County..

The warning lasted until 8 a.m.

Just after 7:30 a.m., winds from a thunderstorm leveled a structure in the 200 block of Preston Road in Mooresville, WBTV reported.

The Charlotte Fire Department on Twitter urged residents to “secure items outside, bring pets inside, charge cell phones and use only battery powered flash lights. Stay away from windows during heavy winds.”

Severe thunderstorms moved into the Lake Norman area with heavy downpours just before 7:30 a.m. Pea-sized hail was reported, NWS meteorologists said.

Statesville, Concord, Kannapolis and Salisbury remained under a threat of strong winds until 8:30 a.m.

Storms raced in from Gaston and Lincoln counties. The NWS placed Charlotte, Concord and Gastonia under the threat of strong winds with possible 40-mph gusts until 7:30 a.m.

“Showers and scattered thunderstorms will cross the area through early afternoon,” NWS meteorologists said in a hazardous weather bulletin at 4 a.m. “A few of the storms may become strong to severe with damaging winds and large hail the main threats.”

Few power outages reported

Duke Energy reported only limited outages in the Charlotte area from the storms, with just 213 customers in Mecklenburg County without electricity at 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

Across the Carolinas, about 3,113 customers were without power at 11:30 a.m.. Duke Energy expected power back by about noon in most areas.

By 1 p.m., those numbers fell to 199 in Mecklenburg County and 1,128 in the Carolinas.

Flight delays reported

At least 482 flights were delayed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport by 5:30 p.m. Saturday, according to tracking site FlightAware.com.

Delays included at least 267 departures and 215 inbound planes, FlightAware reported.

Just before 8 p.m., the number jumped to at least 544 delayed flights for the day and evening, including 309 from Charlotte and 233 incoming, according to FlightAware.

At 8:45 a.m., the FAA lifted an earlier ground stop at the airport, WSOC reported.

Charlotte forecast

All sunshine is predicted Sunday and Monday, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Tuesday could grow cloudy, and Wednesday has a 50% chance of rain, according to the NWS. Rain is likely late Wednesday and early Thursday, with the chance at 60%, NWS forecasters said.

Rain chances fall to 40% by Friday, the forecast showed.

After an expected high of 72 Saturday, highs in Charlotte are forecast to drop from 71 Sunday, 68 Monday and 69 Tuesday to 61 Wednesday. Highs are then expected to climb to 66 Thursday and 67 Friday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.