Thousands in the Charlotte area without power following afternoon storm, tornado warning
Thousands of Charlotte area residents were without power until the late evening hours following a Monday afternoon storm that prompted a brief tornado warning.
The initial warning was until 2:15 p.m. and included Concord, Kannapolis and Harrisburg, the NWS in Greenville-Spartanburg, SC said in a tweet. Another warning was issued for Rowan County that expired at 2:45 p.m., NWS said.
Tornado Warning including Concord NC, Kannapolis NC and Harrisburg NC until 2:15 PM EDT pic.twitter.com/gRzo3F0Kv4
— NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) May 23, 2022
Around 4,000 Duke Energy customers were left without power along Plaza Midwood Road Extension, Hood Road, Rocky River Road and Harrisburg Road, according to the utility’s outage map. Service is expected to be restored by 7:45 p.m., the map said.
Downed trees, power lines
Trees and power lines are down off Rocky River Road in Harrisburg, WCCB Charlotte reported. The NWS in Greenville-Spartanburg will travel to the area on Tuesday to survey the damage.
Trees and power lines down off Rocky River Road in Harrisburg after tornado warned storm moved through. @NWSGSP will head out tomorrow to survey damage. #ncwx #scwx #cltwx @crack_eric pic.twitter.com/iPU2bosu9c
— Kaitlin Wright (@wxkaitlin) May 23, 2022
Charlotte Fire responded to downed trees and power lines in the Back Creek Church Road area, the department said in a tweet. Damages are being assessed and no injuries were reported, the tweet said.
Charlotte Fire responded to reports of trees and powerlines down in the Back Creek Church Road area. CFD damage assessments are ongoing. At this time, no injuries reported. Reports of widespread power outages. pic.twitter.com/K6LSbGubfX
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) May 23, 2022
Residents haven’t only lost power, but some have gotten stuck in their vehicles due to the fallen trees. Charlotte Fire helped someone get out of their vehicle after it got trapped by trees near the 8800 block of Brunt Umber Drive, the department said in a tweet.
Harrisburg Fire reported “major damage” and said to avoid certain areas.
Storm response. More photos of damage. @Harrisburg_NC @wcnc @WBTV_News @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/6C4FWlyS5C
— Harrisburg Fire (@HarrisburgFire) May 23, 2022
Residents should call 911 if they encounter any downed tree, limb or other emergency tree situations, the city of Charlotte said in a tweet. If a tree or part of a tree has fallen and is obstructing or completely blocking a street, call 911, the tweet said. Non-emergency public tree issues can be reported online or to 311.
Charlotte flights affected by storm
By 5:30 p.m., there were 510 delayed flights and 98 cancellations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to FlightAware.
Charlotte could see between a half and three-quarters of an inch of rainfall by Monday night, Doug Outlaw, a meteorologist at the NWS in South Carolina told The Charlotte Observer. If three-quarters of rain falls within a short period of time, it could potentially cause flooding, he said.
Charlotte is expected to run into more “strong storms” and 5 to 8 mph winds after midnight, Outlaw said.
Sunny days ahead remainder of week
More showers and thunderstorms could come before 1 a.m. on Tuesday, with a chance of more rainfall between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. Then more rain could fall after 2 a.m., according to forecasters.
There is a 60% for showers on Tuesday with less than an inch of rain along with thunderstorms touching down after 3 p.m., according to the forecast. The chances of rain rise to 80% on Thursday, and showers and a possible thunderstorm are expected after 2 p.m. the forecast said.
Chances of rain on Wednesday is about 40%, but those odds increase to 50% by the evening, according to the forecast.
Friday, Saturday and Sunday look to be mostly sunny, the forecast said.
