What happened to 100 degrees Tuesday? Mother Nature delivers an unexpected twist
Charlotte’s weather took a drastic turn Tuesday from the stifling temperatures forecasters originally predicted, and unforeseen morning thunderstorms whacked the region.
Don’t poke fun at the weather forecasters quite yet.
Temperatures are still going to get really hot this week, according to the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C.
NWS forecasters originally predicted a suffocating heat wave would blanket the region beginning Tuesday, with an expected high of 100.
According to the 3 p.m. Charlotte forecast, however, the high stood at only 85 degrees at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Mother Nature had other plans, NWS meteorologist Harry Gerapetritis told The Charlotte Observer at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Intense storms that formed Monday night in Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia were expected to disappear as they usually do once they reached the N.C. mountains early Tuesday, he said.
The storms instead continued along mountain ridges toward the N.C. Piedmont and Charlotte, he said.
What’s more, storms decided to “reignite” between 5 a.m and 6 a.m. in parts of Virginia and North Carolina and rumbled into the Charlotte region by about 8 a.m., Gerapetritis said.
In another unexpected twist, a “shield” of mid- to upper-level clouds stuck around as part of the same air mass, dropping highs to the mid- to upper 80s Tuesday afternoon.
At noon Tuesday, the NWS changed its Charlotte-area heat warning to a less-intense heat advisory until 8 p.m. for Mecklenburg, Gaston, Cabarrus and Union counties and the S.C. counties of York and Chester.
Still, the heat index could hit a value of 107 in some parts of the Charlotte area, according to the advisory.
“Temperatures are not expected to get as hot as previously expected due to morning cloud cover and rain-cooled air,” NWS meteorologists said in the advisory. “However, heat index values in the triple digits are still expected late this afternoon.”
According to the advisory: “Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat illnesses to occur.
“The dew points are still high at 72-73, so it feels humid,” Gerapetritis said.
The same air mass is expected to stick around a few more days, he said.
Heat index values could hit 105 or more on Wednesday, 100 to 105 Thursday and 100-plus on Friday before conditions temper a bit on Saturday, he said.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 4:15 PM.