Entire Charlotte area under Tornado Watch as strong storms hit Carolinas

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Friday is a Weather Aware Day for the Charlotte region as a line of storms will bring the threat of damaging winds, hail and isolated tornadoes to the Carolinas. 

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Mecklenburg County and York County until 2:30 p.m.

A Tornado Watch is in effect for most of the Charlotte area until 8 p.m. Friday. This watch includes Alexander, Avery, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Rowan, Union and Watauga counties. 

Chief meteorologist Brad Panovich says the risk for severe thunderstorms in Charlotte and surrounding areas is increasing because of a break between morning showers and afternoon storms. Panovich said the peak heating of the day, combined with any sunshine we see, will create more thunderstorm fuel that leads to favorable conditions for severe weather in the Carolinas.

Multiple schools north of Charlotte announced they will dismiss students one hour early Friday due to the threat of weather. As of 1 p.m., Catawba County Schools, Hickory Public Schools and Iredell-Statesville Schools will dismiss early due to the forecast.

Click here to sign up for the daily Wake Up Charlotte newsletter

Panovich said the Charlotte area has a 2-5% chance of seeing a tornado. That means areas shaded in orange on the map below are at risk of seeing a tornado within 25 miles of them. It doesn’t sound like much, but that’s really high. 

“Even though these seem small, these are actually significant,” Panovich said. “Think about any given day, the chance of a tornado is close to zero. So 2% is actually two times higher, 5% is five times higher than a normal day. This is a much bigger chance that it looks to appear. 

The biggest threats from Friday’s storms will be damaging winds, heavy rain, large hail, lightning and isolated tornadoes. There is also a flood risk for some areas, depending on local rain totals. 

This line of storms will be capable of producing severe thunderstorm-strength winds, which range from 50 to 100 mph, Sprinkle said. The current forecast shows a 30% chance of damaging winds for most of the Charlotte metro. This includes Boone, Gastonia, Hickory, Huntersville, Lincolnton, Monroe, Mooresville, Pineville, Salisbury and Waxhaw in North Carolina, as well as the South Carolina cities and towns of Chester, Fort Mill, Lancaster, Rock Hill and York.

🌩️ If you like weather, watch Brad Panovich and the WCNC Charlotte First Warn Weather Team on their YouTube channel, Weather IQ. 🎥

Panovich has altered his timing just a little based on what he’s seeing Friday morning. 

• North Carolina mountains: Noon to 3 p.m. 
• Piedmont/Charlotte metro: 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Eastern Piedmont: 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.

“I do think this is going to be a little slower than we anticipated yesterday by about an hour,” Panovich said. 

If you live in the Charlotte area, you should be Weather Aware from 3 p.m. until around 10 p.m. at the least. Panovich said by 11 p.m., the storms will be out of our area and pushing toward Eastern North Carolina. 

When there is an active tornado warning, you need to know where you should go. No matter where you are, whether it’s at home, an apartment, in the car or out and about, you should always have a plan for severe weather.  

When at home, you and your family need to go to a safe place. First, go to the lowest level of your home immediately. A basement is ideal, but if you don’t have one, find the most interior room of your house away from windows. 

Crouch on the floor and cover your head as much as you can. Brad Panovich’s family keeps helmets in their safe space, along with other supplies for a tornado warning.

Your safe place should have a flashlight, as well as food and water. You should always wear shoes because if there is damage, you may have to walk through nails or broken glass. 

In an apartment building, the same rules apply. You need to head to the lowest level, but use the stairs because the elevator could lose power. A place like under the staircase, an interior hallway or a room with no windows is your safe place. Crouch and cover your head.

This is the riskiest place to be during a tornado. If the tornado is far enough away you can drive away from it at 90-degree angles until you find a safe place. If it is nearby, DO NOT try to outrun it. Instead, pull over. If a sturdy structure is not available, then stay in your car with your seatbelt on. Duck below the dash and cover your head. 

An EF1 tornado can push a car and an EF2 can lift it off the road. DO NOT seek shelter under a bridge or overpass. Flying debris tends to move even faster, making it more dangerous. 

Most importantly, don’t panic. Be mindful of others and move as quickly and safely as possible to an interior bathroom or storage room. Any enclosed place away from windows is your target. Some establishments will have a marked tornado shelter.

Other Locations? We’ve listed more severe weather safe places here

A thunderstorm is only considered severe when it has at least one of these:

When a thunderstorm has either of these criteria, the National Weather Service will issue a Severe Thunderstorm Warning for individual storms.

If storms in the near future are expected to have these criteria, the National Weather Service will issue a Severe Thunderstorm Watch across an entire region. Severe Thunderstorm Warnings could then be issued for individual storms as needed.

The National Weather Service will issue tornado warnings on individual storms that are likely, or are already producing, a tornado warning.

Similar to thunderstorms, the National Weather Service may issue a Tornado Watch ahead of storms. A watch could expand across an entire region in advance of storms. 

RELATED: Weather IQ: Understanding watches and warnings

Wake Up Charlotte To Go is a daily news and weather podcast you can listen to so you can start your day with the team at Wake Up Charlotte.  
SUBSCRIBE: Apple Podcasts || Spotify || Stitcher || TuneIn || Google Podcasts   

All of WCNC Charlotte’s podcasts are free and available for both streaming and download. You can listen now on Android, iPhone, Amazon, and other internet-connected devices. Join us from North Carolina, South Carolina, or on the go anywhere.