Charlotte North Carolina News

Spring is expected to bring flooding and warmer-than-normal temperatures to the Southeast. In parts of the region, there’s more than a 50% chance for flood conditions from April to June, … Click to Continue »

The coronavirus pandemic has changed life on Earth dramatically over the last several months. Countries have completely closed their borders, businesses have shuttered, schools have emptied, and major cities have turned into ghost towns as millions self-quarantine in their homes to help reduce the spread of the disease. But one thing that hasn’t changed in the U.S. is that with the return of spring comes a spike in severe weather, and in turn, an increase…

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The last couple of weeks have been brutal for Sherri Wellman after a tornado ravaged her at-home daycare in February. She since reopened but is closed again as she tries to protect her kids from the coronavirus outbreak.  “This has not been our year,” Wellman said. “It’s been a roller coaster.” In early February, WCNC Charlotte shared Wellman’s story of survival after she, her husband, and five babies managed to escape as…

Update:  COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — President Donald Trump has toured a neighborhood in Tennessee reduced to rubble by a tornado earlier this week and marveled at “the tremendous heart” he witnessed. He also offered a message for survivors and those who lost family members, saying: “We love them, they’re special people.” Trump assumed the role of national consoler as he traveled Friday to Tennessee. Trump is touring hard-hit communities in Putnam County, where a tornado…

The National Weather Service in Nashville released new findings in its surveys of the tornadoes that struck Tennessee on March 3, saying at least six separate tornadoes have been identified in Middle Tennessee and four others touched down in East and West Tennessee In Nashville, an EF-3 tornado with winds estimated at 165 miles per hour touched down and traveled east nearly 60 miles across multiple counties. In Cookeville and Putnam County, an EF-4 tornado…

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. — Help is pouring into Putnam County and other parts of Middle Tennessee that were devastated by tornadoes this week. But not all that help rolled in on a tricycle! Susan Stout Dyer posted a photo of her 3-year-old grandson Dax riding through her Prosperity Point neighborhood in Cookeville on Friday. It was one of the areas where many homes were destroyed by the early morning storms. When she asked him what he was…

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has donated $1 million to Tennessee tornado relief and is using her power of social media fans to get others to donate. She shared that she donated on her Instagram story Thursday and included a link to encourage others to do the same. “Nashville is my home and the fact that so many people have lost their homes and so much more in Middle Tennessee is devastating to me,”…

PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn — Eighteen people lost their lives when a tornado swept through Putnam County early in the morning on Tuesday, March 3. Family and friends shared memories and photos of them with us. We are working to learn more about them from loved ones. This article will be updated as more stories and images are shared. RELATED: 13 adults, 5 kids killed in Putnam County tornado, officials say Todd & Sue Koehler The…

PUTNAM COUNTY, Tenn. — The Curtis family was asleep in their home near Cookeville when a tornado hit their home early Tuesday morning. Of the five sleeping family members, only two of them made it out alive. Mom Jennifer and son Easton are in the hospital and are okay, but dad Terry, little brother Dawson, and nanny Amanda Cole were killed. Their home was leveled. The porch now sits in what was once the living…

BELMONT, N.C. — Rainy days aren’t always convenient but the people who live in one area of Belmont dread the rain. Neighbors on Lee Street say their backyards flood even when it rains just a little, made much worse with storms like the one in February.  They say it’s all because a city storm drainpipe is open, and the water is able to flow freely through their yards. The city manager told WCNC Charlotte they’re…

A North Carolina man has been found safe after being in Nashville an hour before the deadly tornados in Nashville.  Police said 27-year-old Benjamin Charles Fitch was walking in Mt. Juliet, a suburb of Nashville, just 1 hour prior to the tornado. According to police, Fitch was found safe in Knoxville.  Mt. Juliet Police Department ‪Overnight, we received a report that Benjamin Charles Fitch, of NC,… could not be located or heard from. He was…

A North Carolina man has been found safe after being in Nashville an hour before the deadly tornados in Nashville.  Police said 27-year-old Benjamin Charles Fitch was walking in Mt. Juliet, a suburb of Nashville, just 1 hour prior to the tornado. According to police, Fitch was found safe in Knoxville.  Mt. Juliet Police Department ‪Overnight, we received a report that Benjamin Charles Fitch, of NC,… could not be located or heard from. He was…

BOONE, N.C. — Less than 12 hours after deadly tornadoes ripped through Nashville and its surrounding communities, Samaritan’s Purse disaster response specialists were on the way to provide immediate relief to affected Tennessee families.  The international Christian relief organization deployed two Disaster Relief Units, tractor-trailers stocked with critical relief supplies, to Mt. Juliet and Cookeville—two of the hardest-hit towns. Samaritan’s Purse is working alongside local government officials and church partners to determine the areas of…

CHERRYVILLE, N.C. — Homes and roads in the Charlotte region are still uninhabitable and impassable following last month’s tornadoes and heavy storms. In Gaston County, a DOT crew is repairing Kenwood Road near Cherryville, which got washed out by last month’s storms. According to a DOT spokeswoman, the road is scheduled to reopen by the end of March. The crew will then fix nearby Martin Road, which may not reopen until late April. RELATED: Here…