Tropical Storm Isaias will bring rain and gusty winds to Charlotte, forecasters say

Tropical Storm Isaias will bring Charlotte up to an inch of rain Monday, forecasters say, with wind gusts up to 25 mph possible Monday night.

Overall impacts to the region are expected to be minor, said meteorologist Doug Outlaw of the National Weather Service in Greer, S.C., which does forecasts for the Charlotte area. The area forecast predicts an 80% chance of rain.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Monday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport reported that .2 inches of rain had fallen since midnight, with northerly winds of 14 mph. Some areas of Mecklenburg County had more rain by that point, including 1.2 inches in Davidson.

A rain total of 1 inch had been expected for Monday and Monday night. “Hopefully it doesn’t come all at one time,” Outlaw said. Rainfall could be heavy in spots hit by thunderstorms, the weather service says, along with the possibility of flash-flooding where storms strike the same places.

As of 11 a.m. Monday, the center of Isaias was about 90 miles east southeast of Brunswick, Georgia, with top sustained winds of 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was moving north at 13 mph.

The storm is expected to make its closest approach to Charlotte when the center reaches Wilmington at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Wind speeds are expected to increase late in the day Monday, peaking at 10 to 15 mph from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. with gusts of up to 25 mph, Outlaw said. Some trees could fall where soil is saturated by heavy rainfall, forecasters say.

Winds will subside to 5 to 10 mph by sunrise Tuesday, when a 30% chance of rain is expected under partly sunny skies.

This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 12:03 PM.