Mostly sunny skies return after rain, strong winds hit Charlotte region early Thursday
The sun reappeared over the Charlotte area late Thursday afternoon after heavy rains and strong winds moved across the region earlier in the day.
“We think we’re done with the storms,” meteorologist Patrick Moore of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., told The Charlotte Observer around 4 p.m. “We really think at this point that things have wound down already.”
Thursday’s forecast showed a slight chance for storms until 5 p.m. in Charlotte, but the weather radar didn’t indicate anything more happening, according to Moore.
Mostly clear skies are expected for Thursday night into Friday morning, with a low around 49. Winds could still gust as high as 21 mph, according to the NWS forecast.
At least two tornado warnings were issued, for parts of York and Chester counties in South Carolina, and another for Anson and Stanly counties.
Several counties to the east and southeast of Mecklenburg remained under a a tornado watch until 8 p.m.
Most of the Charlotte area saw sustained winds of up to 10 to 20 mph early Thursday, meteorologist Harry Gerapetritis of the NWS office in Greer, S.C., told The Charlotte Observer.
Heavy winds knocked down a “huge tree” on Providence Road near Huntington Park Drive and Rutledge Avenue overnight, causing more than 550 power outages, Queen City News and WSOC reported. Duke Energy restored power around 7 a.m., and roads reopened to traffic by 8:30 a.m.
The stormy weather affected a number of flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. As of 4 p.m., 189 flight delays were reported and 12 cancellations, according to the tracking site FlightAware.
Winds at altitudes of about 2,000 to 3,000 feet and at about 50-60 mph were a “main concern” for forecasters on Thursday, according to Gerapetritis. The showers and storms could’ve channeled those winds down to the ground and knocked down trees onto power lines, he said.
Friday should be a “great day” weather-wise as temperatures could reach a high of 67 and skies are expected to be clear and sunny, Moore said.
The NWS forecast for Friday night calls for mostly clear skies and a low around 39. The weekend looks to be mostly sunny to sunny, with a high of 65 on Saturday and near 71 on Sunday. The warmer temperatures continue into next week.
The next chance of rain could come Tuesday, the forecast said.
This story was originally published March 31, 2022 at 10:21 AM.
