Charlotte area skirts storm threat, braces for subfreezing temps. Here’s the latest.
The Charlotte area skirted the powerful storms predicted by the National Weather Service on Wednesday, but subfreezing temperatures are still on the way, NWS meteorologists said.
The NWS office in Greer, S.C., warned for two days that large hail, damaging winds and possibly tornadoes could hit the region on Wednesday afternoon.
But the most intense thunderstorm cell of the day was just east of Monroe at 5 p.m., about 30 miles southeast of Charlotte, and no damaging storms were expected into the evening, NWS meteorologist Mike Rehnberg told The Charlotte Observer.
On Twitter early Wednesday afternoon, the NWS Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla., released a map showing the predicted path of strong storms crossing southeast Mecklenburg but tracking to the southeast.
Showers could stick around in some areas until about 10 p.m., WBTV meteorologist Leigh Brock told viewers Wednesday afternoon, but the bigger concern was the oncoming cold weather.
Temperatures in Charlotte are expected to fall to 29 degrees both early Friday and early Saturday, according to the NWS forecast at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. That’s 3 degrees below freezing.
The NWS on Wednesday issued a freeze watch for Mecklenburg and surrounding counties and Upstate South Carolina for late Thursday through Friday morning.
“Frost and freeze conditions could kill crops, other sensitive vegetation and possibly damage unprotected outdoor plumbing,” NWS meteorologists said in the watch.
High temperatures were forecast to plummet from 69 degrees on Wednesday to 54 on Thursday and 52 on Friday.
Highs should climb to 60 on Saturday and 72 on Sunday and soar to 81 degrees by Wednesday, according to the NWS.
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 10:04 AM.