Hurricane Sally may dump up to 10 inches of rain on south Charlotte. Here’s the latest.
Hurricane Sally could dump up to 10 inches of rain on south Charlotte, potentially flood low-lying areas of Mecklenburg and surrounding counties and cause flight delays at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, National Weather Service meteorologists said Tuesday.
To prepare for the storm, Duke Energy is lowering lake levels across the Nantahala, Catawba, Yadkin and Keowee-Toxaway river basins “by aggressively moving water through these river systems,” according to a company statement Tuesday afternoon.
“We urge people living along lakes and rivers or in flood-prone areas to use caution, follow directions from emergency managers, pay close attention to changing weather and stream flow conditions and stay informed,” Duke officials said.
Rain bands from the storm could begin arriving in the Charlotte area late Wednesday and early Thursday, meteorologist Robbie Munroe of the NWS office in Greer, S.C., told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday morning.
“There’s still uncertainty as to (Sally’s) speed and track as it moves into the Charlotte area,” Munroe said. “ ... We’re going to see rain. How much is still up for grabs.”
Late Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center in Miami upped its predicted rainfall total for southern Mecklenburg County, including the Pineville area, to 6 to 10 inches, a substantial rise from the 4 to 6 inches forecast early Tuesday.
The same 6 to 10 inches of rain is forecast for most of Upstate South Carolina, while 4 to 6 inches is expected in most other parts of Mecklenburg and nearby N.C. counties, according to the Hurricane Center.
The National Weather Service is warning of the potential for flash flooding in Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, according to a NWS hazardous weather outlook bulletin early Tuesday.
CLT flight impacts expected
The NWS also expects “widespread flight restrictions” in the Charlotte area later this week.
“The remnants of tropical storm Sally are expected to pass close enough to the area to bring heavy rainfall Thursday into Friday,” according to the NWS alert.
“While there is considerable uncertainty regarding amounts and the location of heaviest rain, rainfall totals are expected to be sufficient to result in areas of flash flooding, some of which could be significant,” NWS meteorologists said in the bulletin.
“A lot of it comes down to how fast it falls,” Munroe said. “If we get 4 to 6 inches, chances are some of it will come down pretty heavy.”
Duke Energy said it will post real-time updates about the storm’s impact on rivers and lakes on its website, duke-energy.com/lakes.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sally was about 85 miles south of Mobile, Ala., packing 80 mph maximum sustained winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was chugging along at 2 mph, center officials said.
Fall weather for Charlotte
Once the storm passes Charlotte, Munroe said, “it looks like a nice, cool fall weekend for Charlotte,” according to the meteorologist.
The chance of “heavy rain” in Charlotte stands at 70% Thursday, 80% Thursday night and 70% Friday, before skies are expected to turn partly sunny on Saturday and most sunny Sunday and Monday, according to the latest NWS forecast for Charlotte.
Highs are expected to drop from 79 Tuesday to 78 Wednesday, 72 Thursday and 69 Friday, Saturday and Sunday and 68 Monday. Temperatures are forecast to then rebound to 70 Monday and 74 Tuesday.
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 10:41 AM.