The National Weather Service in Charlotte, North Carolina, has advised residents of a potential bout of severe weather looming in the coming days. While today's forecast promises mostly sunny skies with a high near 85°F and calm winds, the serenity is not to last. By Tuesday evening, there's a low yet tangible chance for showers and thunderstorms.
Tuesday brings a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 3 p.m., under partly sunny conditions with a high near 84°F. Winds will shift subtly, from an east northeast whisper around 6 mph becoming southeast later in the day. It's during the night that the odds for wet and possibly severe weather rise to a dicey 50 percent. The National Weather Service warns to especially watch out for strong to severe storms along and west of I-26, as damaging wind gusts and large hail could be in play.
We can expect a brief respite Wednesday morning with a "slight chance of showers before 8am," and then again a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The sun, however, is to duly reappear, gracing the day with highs near 86°F and winds tightening up with gusts as high as 24 mph. Nightfall descends with clarity, as the skies are predicted to be mostly clear, cradling a low around 62°F.
The hazardous weather outlook continues, noting that from Tuesday evening into the night, the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia need to prepare to potentially wrestle with severe storms. There's an unsettled certainty associated with the severity of the threat, given that the storm's vigor is expected to abate somewhat as it crosses the North Carolina mountains. Forecasters advise that the primary threats are damaging wind gusts and large hail. And though the probabilities are low, "an isolated, brief tornado cannot be entirely ruled out," principally across the North Carolina mountains, northeast Georgia, and the northwestern South Carolina Upstate.
Weather enthusiasts and concerned citizens are encouraged to stay abreast of updates and to report any severe weather conditions, like "large hail, damaging winds, or tornadoes" to the National Weather Service, as part of the proactive communication that aids community preparedness. By keeping an eye skyward and ear to the ground, locals may navigate this uncertain interlude between springtime warmth and the tumultuous potential hidden within the clouds.
