Fast Moving Severe Weather Snarls Charlotte’s Evening Commute

CHARLOTTE, NC -- Wednesday’s evening commute saw intense weather in the form of heavy rains and winds throughout the Charlotte region, bringing down trees and flooding streets.

While all tornado warnings in the Charlotte region have been lifted, a tornado watch remains in effect until 6 p.m. A tornado watch means weather conditions are favorable for the development of severe thunderstorms, called supercells, that are capable of producing tornadoes.

Counties included in the tornado watch include: Alexander, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cabarrus, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davie, Gaston, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mecklenburg, Mitchell, Polk, Rowan, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Union and Yancey.

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By 4:30 p.m., serious flooding was reported near Uptown under train tracks on N. Tryon Street:

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Storm Water Services reported that Little Sugar Creek and Stewart Creek were rising:

Just north of Charlotte, in Iredell County, a tornado touched down, Iredell County Sheriff deputies confirmed, according to WSOCTV. By 4:30 p.m. in Statesville, up to 30 homes had already seen damage from the storm activity, including two that were destroyed, WBTV reported.

Wednesday’s storms add to the week of severe weather in North Carolina. A tornado with winds reaching about 110 mph touched down outside of Raleigh earlier in the week, decimating a volunteer fire department in Autryville.

Footage of the tornado’s aftermath can be seen here:

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