Severe Charlotte-area storms kill man near Mooresville, knock out power to thousands
Severe storms killed a man east of Mooresville, knocked out power to thousands in the Charlotte region and delayed at least 600 flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sunday.
At about 10:10 a.m., a fallen tree during heavy rain killed Matthew Ronald Teeple, 70, of Cleveland, according to the North Carolina State Highway Patrol.
Teeple was in a southbound 1979 Chevrolet pickup on N.C. 152 near Brumley Road in Iredell County, Trooper Christopher Casey said.
A tornado watch was in effect for the Charlotte region until 1 p.m. Sunday, as storms with damaging winds and heavy rains raced into Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, National Weather Service meteorologists said.
A tornado watch means weather conditions could lead to severe storms and a tornado, while a tornado warning means a twister has been “spotted or indicated by weather radar,” according to the NWS.
At 11 a.m., at least 15,700 Duke Energy customers in Charlotte were without power, according to the company outage map.
By 10:45 a.m., 602 flights were delayed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to Flight Aware.com.
The NWS issued a tornado warning until 10:30 a.m. for north-central Mecklenburg County, northwestern Cabarrus County and southeastern Iredell County. Pea-sized hail also was possible, according to an NWS alert.
At 9:44 a.m., the NWS reported “a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 5 miles northwest of Huntersville, near Ramsey Creek Park,” which is on Lake Norman in Cornelius.
A round of strong to severe thunderstorms was expected Sunday morning and early afternoon ahead of the approaching cold front, according to an NWS bulletin early Saturday.
“Damaging wind gusts are the primary hazard, but an isolated tornado cannot be ruled out,” forecasters said.
“Moderate to heavy rainfall” was forecast to arrive late Saturday and early Sunday, according to the alert.
“Areas of excessive runoff are likely, resulting in isolated areas of nuisance flooding,” meteorologists said.
The alert included Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, Rock Hill, S.C., the mountains and North Carolina foothills.
Mountain flooding
The Charlotte area saw up to 1 1/2 inches of rain on Sunday, while 3 to 5 inches dumped on the mountains.
“For the first time since Hurricane Helene, a Flood Warning has been issued for the French Broad River at Blantyre and a Flood Advisory for the French Broad River at Fletcher and Asheville,” the NWS office in Greer, S.C., posted on X on Saturday. “Please be careful when traveling near this area.”
“Nuisance to minor flooding in the upper French Broad watershed is likely,” forecasters said.
Charlotte, Rock Hill forecast
The bad weather should leave the region by late Sunday or early Monday, with sunshine forecast on Monday. Showers are likely again Tuesday, with sunshine forecast for New Year’s Day and Thursday, and mostly sunny skies on Friday, the NWS forecast showed.
Highs are predicted to bounce around in Charlotte, from 64 on Sunday to 62 on Monday, 61 on Tuesday, 55 on Wednesday, 50 on Thursday, 51 on Friday and on 44 Saturday.
This story was originally published December 28, 2024 at 2:31 PM.