Severe thunderstorms with gusts of 70 mph, quarter-sized hail and “frequent” lightning are threatening the Charlotte area Saturday afternoon and evening, National Weather Service meteorologists said.
“Torrential rainfall” could lead to flash flooding across the region through 9 p.m., according to a severe thunderstorm warning from the NWS on Saturday afternoon.
The watch area includes Mecklenburg and surrounding counties in North Carolina, as well as upstate South Carolina, according to an NWS alert on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
Charlotte has a 70% chance of showers and thunderstorms through Saturday night, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast as of 3 p.m.
The NWS office in Greer, South Carolina, issued a special weather statement until 2:15 p.m. for Union County, saying gusts of 50 mph and pea-sized hail were possible.
Lenoir and other areas of Caldwell County were under a severe thunderstorm warning until 3:15 p.m., with gusts of 60 mph possible, NWS forecasters said.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
