Charlotte Faces Tornado Warnings as Hurricane Helene Approaches

Charlotte Faces Tornado Warnings Amid Tropical Storm Conditions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Well, folks, it seems like Mother Nature is chatting away, and it’s a bit of a stormy conversation! Over the past few days, the Charlotte area has been on high alert with several **tropical storm watches** and **warnings** announced left and right. It all kicked off on Wednesday evening when excitement turned to concern as multiple **tornado warnings** lit up our screens.

The Weather Report

Our very own meteorologist provided an update, revealing that he had “very high confidence” about a tornado landing in **Burke County**. It all started to unfold when a powerful storm does its dance across Rutherford County and then swings into Burke right before dinner time. Those skies were visibly darkening, setting the stage for potential severe weather. By late Wednesday night, around 10 p.m., another tornado warning was issued for **Watauga County**, though it expired a brisk thirty minutes later.

But wait, there’s more! The real excitement went into overdrive early Thursday morning when multiple warnings were pinging for several counties as a destructive line of storms rolled through. Around 9:30 a.m., tornado warnings were extended to **Alexander, Catawba,** and **Iredell counties** before they expired shortly after. Then, just before 10 a.m., another alert was sent out for **Gaston** and **Mecklenburg counties**. This warning, too, came and went in about ten minutes but not without a brief tornado sighting near the **Steele Creek** area of Charlotte!

The Impending Hurricane

What’s the reason behind all this tempestuous weather? Meteorologists say the storms are largely driven by a band ahead of Hurricane **Helene**, currently packing a punch as a **Category 2 hurricane** with sustained winds reaching up to **100 mph**. For those wondering how it’s all going to play out, we’re seeing Charlotte sitting on the *“dirty”* side of the hurricane – the northeast quadrant – which unfortunately means we are at a higher risk for those pesky **spin-up tornadoes**.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

There’s more news on the way, and it’s not for the faint-hearted. Heavy rainfall is on the horizon for both **North and South Carolina**, starting late Thursday morning and peaking until Friday afternoon. Some parts of **western North Carolina** could see more than a foot of rain! So grab your umbrellas, folks, because Helene is bringing those torrential downpours right to our doorstep!

Watches and Warnings

Due to these conditions, a **Tropical Storm Warning** is currently in effect for Mecklenburg, Union, York, Chester, Gaston, Lincoln, Catawba, Cleveland, Burke, Caldwell, and Avery counties. Cities and towns that will feel the brunt include **Banner Elk, Shelby, Lenoir, Morganton, Hickory, Newton,** and of course, our beloved **Charlotte**.

As if that weren’t enough, a **Flood Watch** has also been put in place for **Alexander, Catawba, Cleveland, Lincoln, Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Ashe,** and **Watauga counties** due to predictions of significant flooding, especially in the mountainous and foothill regions, where as much as **5-10 inches of rain** could accumulate by Friday afternoon.

Stay Informed

So, what’s next? Keep your ears tuned, your apps updated, and your storm plans ready. In the meantime, stay safe, stay smart, and keep an eye on those weather updates as we get through this stormy spell together!