Heavy rains near Charlotte Saturday, could impact Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, NWS says
Charlotte can expect a drastic shift in its weather for Memorial Day weekend, with plummeting temps and rain-drenched skies that could delay or postpone Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, National Weather Service meteorologists said.
“They might want to consider rescheduling to Monday night,” meteorologist Doug Outlaw of the NWS office in Greer, South Carolina, told The Charlotte Observer Thursday.
At Sunday’s 6 p.m. start time of the race, “it will be raining over most of North Carolina,” including the Charlotte region, Outlaw said.
Concord has a 90% chance of showers throughout Sunday, and possible thunderstorms, according to the NWS Concord forecast at noon Saturday.
Rains already postponed Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at the speedway..
The heaviest weekend rains were expected to fall Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning across the Charlotte area, Foothills, mountains and elsewhere across the state, according to an NWS hazardous weather alert.
Some heavy rainfall was expected late Saturday morning ”and will remain steady through Sunday morning across parts of the Western NC mountains, foothills and Piedmont,” according to the alert issued just after 5:30 a.m. Saturday by the Greer office.
In metro Charlotte, occasional showers and possibly thunderstorms are set to arrive after 5 p.m., the NWS Charlotte forecast at noon Saturday showed.
“Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall,” NWS meteorologists said in the forecast..
And wind gusts could reach 32 mph, climbing to 36 mph late Saturday and early Sunday, forecasters said.
The chance of rain for Charlotte and elsewhere across the region stood at 90%, according to the NWS.
The storm could dump 1 to 3 inches across most of the Carolinas and up to 5 inches in the mountains, NWS forecasters said. Flooding could result, according to the NWS alert.
Blame a coastal low pressure weather system moving inland over the Carolinas, forecasters said.
“Gusty winds will also develop, and a few trees may be blown down due to wet soil conditions,” meteorologists warned in the alert.
Better weather Memorial Day
Good news for Memorial Day cook outs: Most of the rain should leave the area by later Monday morning, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast at noon Saturday.
Charlotte has a 40% chance of showers during the day, with thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m.
The sun will continue to hide through at least Tuesday, Charlotte forecast showed.
Temperature drop, breezy conditions
You’re already noticing it’s colder and breezier outside.
After Friday’s high of 72, Saturday’s plummeted to 61 at noon, the Charlotte forecast showed.
And you may still feel the wind Sunday, when gusts up to 23 mph are predicted.
Winds are forecast to finally calm down by Monday, and highs are expected to improve to 64 Sunday, 74 Monday, 76 Tuesday, 79 Wednesday, 84 Thursday and 86 Friday.
Headed to the beach or mountains?
Rain also is likely in the mountains and at the coast, McClatchy News reported..
Flooding and 40-mph winds are possible in the Wilmington area and rip currents in both southeastern NC and the Outer Banks, according to McClatchy News.
This story was originally published May 25, 2023 at 12:15 PM.