Weather News

Hail pummels parts of Charlotte as severe thunderstorm watch remains for hours

Charlotte was under a severe thunderstorm watch on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.
Charlotte was under a severe thunderstorm watch on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

Charlotte drivers reported dice-sized hail during the afternoon rush hour Wednesday as Mecklenburg and surrounding counties remained under a severe thunderstorm watch until midnight. Hail was reported on Randolph Road.

Storms could deliver ping pong ball-sized hail, “frequent lightning” and 75-mph gusts to the Carolinas on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma.

Any rain would, if only temporarily, cool Charlotte down. The temperature at 5 p.m. was a suffocating 100 degrees and 98 degrees at 6 p.m.

The NWS issued a heat advisory until 8 p.m. Wednesday and another one from 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

The heat index value hit 110 in the region Wednesday and is expected to reach 108 on Thursday, according to the NWS.

The heat index value is what the outdoors feels like when humidity is mixed in with the temperature.

This is a developing story.

This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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