York County under tornado watch as storms flood roads, bring damaging winds

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Watch a NOAA video about being safe when thunderstorms and lighting approach.

Watch a NOAA video about being safe when thunderstorms and lighting approach.

Powerful storms continued across the Charlotte region on Sunday, bringing severe thunderstorms and the threat of tornadoes to the region.

On Sunday, the National Weather Service had issued a tornado warning for northwestern Davie and northeastern Iredell counties in North Carolina. That warning ended at 11:45 a.m.

A tornado watch was issued at 12:55 p.m. Sunday for upstate South Carolina, including York County and Union County, S.C., according to the National Weather Service. The watch is active through 7 p.m.

The warning comes as intense storms flooded roads in York County, S.C., and delivered 70 mph winds and ping pong ball-size hail to Morganton, N.C., on Saturday as the Carolinas braced for more severe weather on Sunday.

“We cannot stress this enough,” the York County Sheriff’s Office warned Saturday afternoon in one of eight tweets that included pictures of flooded roads. “DO NOT TRY TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED OUT ROADS!!!!!

Sunday morning forecasts called for the chance of damaging wind, large hail and isolated tornadoes and flash flooding, according to the NWS. Monday calls for sunny skies and a high of 68 degrees in the Rock Hill and Charlotte regions.

Photos circulating Saturday included one of a car trapped in flood waters on Mobley Store Road, between Burkin Road and Booney Road in York, and another of a washed-out Bookout Road in Rock Hill.

At 5 p.m. Saturday, Gunsmoke Road, Stallcup Road, South Fork Road and part of Wilson Chapel Road remained closed due to flooding, York County emergency management officials tweeted. As of Sunday afternoon, emergency management had not yet announced the roads were opened.

In Morganton, a “very powerful severe thunderstorm” delivered “ping pong ball size hail and 70 mph wind,” according to a tweet by NWS.

“Take cover now!” NWS meterorologists tweeted.