Large hail, strong winds and tornado threat possible into Thursday evening

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — WCNC Charlotte’s Weather Impact Team wants everyone in the Charlotte area to be weather alert due to the risk of strong-to-severe thunderstorms Thursday evening.

WCNC Weather Impact Meteorologist Chris Mulcahy said these storms will have the potential for heavy rain, hail, damaging winds and flash flooding. There’s also a chance of an isolated tornado. 

The first wave of storms is expected to impact the foothills and areas west of Charlotte around 4 p.m. Thursday. Impacted areas include Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton, Newton, Shelby and Valdese. 

Mulcahy said the window for severe weather will extend from 4 p.m. until around 10 p.m. for the Charlotte metro area. These storms could linger into the night in some areas. 

WCNC Weather Impact Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said the main threat will be hail and damaging wind gusts. This is an elevated hail risk, with a rare significant hail threat for areas northwest of Charlotte.  

Showers are expected to continue overnight into Friday morning, but there’s a much smaller threat for severe weather during Friday’s rain. 

NOTE: There is a chance for one more line of storms overnight that is a similar setup to what we had on Saturday night where a weak tornado spun up. This is a low chance with some weak shear, so it is worth mentioning.

🌩️ If you like weather, watch Brad Panovich and the WCNC Weather Impact Team on their Emmy Award-winning Weather IQ YouTube channel. 🎥

The primary threats associated with these storms will be lightning, heavy rain and strong winds. Some areas in the foothills could also get hail as the front arrives in the late afternoon to evening. 

Have a plan for any outdoor activities, as storms could disrupt any event during this time. 

Panovich and the entire Weather Impact team will have regular updates throughout the day on air, on the WCNC Charlotte app and on WCNC+ which you can download on your TV and stream for free 24/7.

• Open fields, on top of a hill
• Near tall, isolated trees
• Near water or metal

• Inside a car
• Inside a building

Contact Chris Mulcahy at cmulcahy@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.

Contact Brad Panovich at bpanovich@wcnc.com or follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.

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