‘Severe’ storms still expected despite sunny skies as vice president left Charlotte
National Weather Service forecasters still expected severe storms in the Charlotte area late Thursday despite the sunny skies that greeted Vice President Kamala Harris’ departure from Charlotte Douglas International Airport after her daylong visit.
Harris flew to Charlotte on Thursday morning to speak with North Carolina legislators about reproductive rights and the Biden administration’s investment in affordable and high-speed internet.
She spent most of her time uptown touring a community computer lab at the Carole Hoefener Center on East 6th Street.
Harris boarded Air Force Two at 4:22 p.m. under mostly clear skies, The Charlotte Observer reported. Wheels went up at 4:35 p.m.
NWS meteorologist Justin Lane earlier told the Observer that severe thunderstorms threatened to develop in Charlotte “after 3 p.m. or so.”
The probability of severe weather in the Queen City “peaks out at 40% between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m.,” according to Lane.
The NWS Charlotte forecast at noon Thursday dropped the risk of scattered thunderstorms to 30%.
The pop-up storms could be more intense than what Charlotte has experienced in recent days, he said. More storms than usual and “slightly stronger” wind shear are predicted, he said.
Weather models later indicated fewer storms would emerge in the Charlotte area Thursday afternoon and evening, Lane said just after 3 p.m.
“It’s reduced a little bit,” he said of the threat. “We’re still expecting thunderstorms to develop, just not as many.”
“Damaging winds, lightning and isolated flooding are the main potential threats,” the NWS office in Greer, South Carolina, posted on Twitter at 2:30 p.m.
Threat of ‘microbursts’
“The main risk will be for severe winds in microbursts,” NWS meteorologists warned earlier on Twitter. “The period of heaviest activity is expected to be from late this afternoon until midnight.”
A microburst is an outburst of strong winds that can cause significant damage, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Their rapid onset and noted relevance for aircraft safety create concerns for forecasters, according to the lab.
Some winds in the Charlotte area could be damaging, according to an NWS bulletin just after 5 a.m. Thursday.
As of 5 p.m., Charlotte’s airport has seen 420 delays, including 219 departures, and 12 cancellations, according to the tracking site FlightAware.
Charlotte forecast: Stuffy and hot
Highs in Charlotte are expected to remain in the stuffy 90s through mid-next week, the NWS forecast showed.
Charlotte could reach a high of 92 degrees on Thursday, followed by predicted highs of 94 Friday, 97 Saturday, 98 Sunday, 96 Monday, 94 Tuesday and 95 Wednesday.
The storm threat plummets to 20% Friday and Saturday and only a “slight” risk Sunday, according to the forecast.
Skies should turn from partly sunny on Friday to mostly sunny over the weekend, NWS meteorologists said.
This story was originally published July 21, 2022 at 1:22 PM.