Weather Extra: Brace for wind and heavy rain
Strong winds seem likely to knock out power in Charlotte today, with the worst weather starting around midday. Maybe go charge your phone this morning — or right now.
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With wind gusts of up to 50 mph expected this afternoon, Charlotte is likely to experience some power outages
◼️ Heavy rain expected after 10 a.m.
◼️ Strongest winds should start around 11 a.m. and ease a little this evening
◼️ Duke Energy says it’s ready
by Steve Lyttle
The powerful storm system we've been talking about for days is at our doorstep.
Wait — before reading another word of this, go plug your phone into a charger. While you're at it, plug in your other devices: computers, Kindles, iPads, whatever.
OK, now that you've got everything plugged into a charger, make sure you keep that charge at 100%. That's because some of us could lose power later today.
The outlook: Strong winds circulating around the deep low-pressure system to our west will arrive in our area by midday. I’m seeing numerous reports this morning of non-thunderstorm wind gusts between 45 and 60 mph in Florida, Alabama and southern Georgia. Those are coming this way.
The winds are howling, a few thousand feet off the surface, and as the day goes on, we’re expecting some of those gusts to reach the surface — especially in areas where the pool of cool air currently covering us is eroded. That is expected across the immediate Charlotte area by midday.
Rain has been falling for several hours, but the heavier rain is off to our southwest and headed this way. Rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour have been common to our southwest this morning.
Let’s look at the various threats today — and the timing ...
◼️ Rain/flooding: A Flood Watch is in effect all day today across the entire Charlotte area. Light rain has fallen so far, but National Weather Service radar shows much heavier rain headed here from the southwest.
In all, around 2.5 inches of rain are expected in Charlotte today. Even heavier amounts are likely to our west. And some parts of the Charlotte area could get heavier amounts this afternoon.
Rainfall is likely to become heavier by 10 a.m. or so.
The National Weather Service is projecting about 2.5 inches of rain in Charlotte, with heavier rains starting around 10 a.m. Areas to the west will receive more.
◼️ Wind: A Wind Advisory is in effect for the Charlotte area and a High Wind Warning is posted for the mountains. To show you how strong the low-level jet stream is (winds a few thousand feet off the surface), a 69 mph gust was recorded around 4:20 a.m. at Brasstown Bald, in northeast Georgia. That’s at 4,784 feet. Some of those winds will reach the surface later today.
In the immediate Charlotte area, you can expect sustained winds around 20 mph after 11 a.m. or so. Those will continue into the afternoon and gust above 50 mph at times.
After the cold front passes through (around 4 or 5 p.m.), winds will shift to the west-southwest. They won’t gust as high, but gusts up to 30 or 35 mph are likely all night.
◼️ Severe storms: Severe thunderstorms and tornadoes are fairly likely today to our east and southeast. Places like Myrtle Beach, Florence and Fayetteville will be in the bullseye.
But severe storms and even a few weak tornadoes are possible in the Charlotte area, especially in the time frame of 2-5 p.m. The cold front will move through around 4 or 5 p.m., and things will quiet down after that.
But don’t focus on the tornado stuff. The non-thunderstorm wind gusts today will be enough to knock down trees and power lines.
◼️ Closings, etc.: Most schools are closed today, and a number of city and county government offices also are closed. Gov. Roy Cooper has declared a State of Emergency in North Carolina. Duke Energy says it has done everything possible to prepare, including staging repair crews.
But a massive part of the eastern and central United States is involved in this storm (check out the blizzard photos from Kansas, Missouri and Iowa), so repair crews might have their hands full.
Steve Lyttle is a longtime Charlotte-area weather writer with a passion for meteorology and delivering smart, insightful updates that aim to inform and educate. Follow his “Weather With Steve” Facebook page for updates throughout the day on Charlotte weather.
Advice from city, Duke Energy on storm preparedness
The city of Charlotte on Monday suggested that residents…
Stay tuned to weather updates: follow the National Weather Service, local media outlets and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management social media feeds for updated weather information.
Sign up for CharMeck Alerts: Register to receive location-specific emergency alerts.
Build an emergency kit: Get the items you might need for 72 hours.
Duke Energy suggested that residents…
Prepare in advance: Visit Duke’s Storm Center to learn how to remain safe during all phases of a storm. Consider making plans for the elderly and those with special medical needs should extended outages occur.
Sign up for Outage Alerts and know how to report an outage: Receive the most up-to-date information about restoration efforts by enrolling in Outage Alerts. Already signed up? Take this time to ensure your contact information is current. If you lose power, text OUT to 57801, report online or through the Duke Energy App, or call 800.POWER ON.
Stay clear of any downed power lines and surrounding debris and report any hazardous situations you may encounter.
Duke said its crews “are prepared and will work as quickly as possible to restore power to everyone affected once conditions safely allow.”
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