Risk of violent winds and possible tornadoes heightens for Charlotte trick-or-treaters
Trick-or-treaters are in for a rough night.
A heightened risk of tornadoes and strong winds is at play as storms develop along the cold front, forecasters warned. The Charlotte region is under a tornado watch until 11 p.m. Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
“The threat for damaging wind and a few tornadoes is expected to increase over the next several hours from North Carolina into Virginia,” according to the Storm Prediction Center.
Forecasters warned earlier in the evening of possible weather-related calamities in the Charlotte region, particularly along the Interstate 77 corridor.
A severe thunderstorm warning was in effect for a short time with wind gusts of up to 60 mph. Those storms could continue until 8 p.m. with “cloud-to-ground lightning, gusty winds and torrential downpours,” forecasters said.
The Piedmont region near the I-77 corridor has the greatest chance of severe thunderstorms, according to the weather service. Excessive rainfall could also contribute to flooding in some areas, particularly “low-lying, poor drainage areas.”
Some areas have opted to bump Halloween back a day and trick-or-treat on Friday, The Charlotte Observer reported.
At least one Charlotte City Council member mused as to whether the city should formally delay it. But that decision has been left to the individual neighborhoods, according to the Observer.
Forecasters said the storms should subside by Friday, but lows in the 30s are expected that evening.
This story was originally published October 31, 2019 at 4:38 PM.
