1 dead, thousands without power as storms pummel Charlotte. Flights grounded at airport – MASHAHER

Severe storms knocked out power to more than 70,000 Mecklenburg County homes and businesses and grounded hundreds of flights at Charlotte’s airport Wednesday. One person was killed and a second injured when a tree fell on a vehicle in Gaston County, Observer news partner WSOC reported.

At 5:15 p.m., at least 72,000 customers had no electricity in Mecklenburg County and 25,000 were without power in Gaston County, according to the Duke Energy outage map.

Repairs and damage assessment were underway, Duke Energy reported, with no restoration time known at 5:30 p.m.

Straight-line winds pummeled the Charlotte region, with hail “larger than golf balls” reported in counties west of Mecklenburg, according to the National Weather Service.

At 3:10 p.m., the weather service issued a tornado warning until 3:45 p.m. for Cherryville and High Shoals in Gaston County and Bellwood in Cleveland County, saying radar indicated a tornado had formed. Quarter-size hail also was possible, the NWS said on social media.

If a tornado did hit the area, an NWS team would likely go to the scene on Thursday morning to confirm it.

A severe thunderstorm warning was issued until 4:45 p.m. for Charlotte and Gastonia.

“This storm will contain wind gusts to 70 MPH!” the NWS warned.

In Charlotte, “traffic lights are out, trees are down, roads are flooding,” WSOC reported just before 4:30 p.m. “It’s a mess near Uptown right now.” Additional information about the person killed was not immediately available.

Nearly 500 flight delays at Charlotte airport

The NWS also warned of 70 mph gusts in Boiling Springs, Cleveland County.

Due to thunderstorms, the FAA grounded departures at Charlotte’s airport from 4:12 p.m. to 5 p.m.

At 4:45 p.m. Wednesday, nearly 500 flights were delayed at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, according to Flight Aware.com, which tracks flights at airports.

Airport officials urged passengers to check the status of their flights before leaving for the airport.

Severe thunderstorm warnings began in Burnsville, Weaverville and other parts of the mountains at 1:30 p.m.

“Very large hail developing with these storms today,” the NWS said. “Take cover if under a Severe Thunderstorm warning!”

A tornado or two in the Charlotte region “cannot be ruled out,” according to a severe weather alert by the NWS office in Greer, South Carolina, at 5:46 a.m. Wednesday.

The tornado threat “is low, but it’s not zero,” NWS meteorologist Doug Outlaw told The Charlotte Observer Wednesday morning. “But the main threat for Charlotte will be straight-line wind damage.”

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, the NWS issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, the N.C. foothills and mountains until 4 p.m.

York, Greenville, Spartanburg and Cherokee counties in South Carolina are also under the watch.

Charlotte has a slight risk of tornadoes from 4 p.m. until about midnight, Outlaw said. The chance of straight-line wind damage, however, has increased since Tuesday night, he said.

The warning area includes Mecklenburg and surrounding counties, the Carolinas mountains, Upstate South Carolina and the N.C. foothills.

Rock Hill has a 60% chance of severe thunderstorms mainly after 5 p.m. Wednesday and a 40% chance overnight, according to the NWS Rock Hill forecast at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Rock Hill has a 70% chance of showers on Thursday, the forecast showed.

“Areas that receive multiple rounds of storms will see a threat for excessive rainfall and flash flooding, especially (Wednesday night),” according to the weather service bulletin for the Charlotte region, mountains and Upstate South Carolina.

Overnight storms

More bad weather is expected overnight, according to the weather service hazardous weather outlook bulletin.

“A complex of strong to severe storms is then expected to move across the area overnight into early Thursday,” according to the alert. “This system will pose a threat for more widespread strong to damaging wind gusts and perhaps a brief tornado.

The threat continues through Thursday, meteorologists said in the alert.

“Scattered storms could redevelop Thursday afternoon, potentially posing another threat of isolated severe weather and locally heavy rainfall,” according to the NWS bulletin.

Weather system spawned deadly tornado

Storms are expected to move into the North Carolina mountains late this afternoon from the west and northwest, Outlaw said.

The storms are part of a severe weather system that spawned a deadly tornado in Oklahoma on Tuesday, he said, although the system is losing strength on its eastward trek.

“The energy from that system is spreading out and slowly dissipating,” he said.

Still, the system will be strong enough to bring damaging winds to the Carolinas, Outlaw said. Storms are expected across Upstate South Carolina and much of North Carolina, he said.

The severe weather system hovered along the Tennessee-Kentucky border Wednesday morning and from Nashville to southern Missouri, Outlaw said.

Charlotte forecast

Showers are likely in Charlotte after 5 p.m. Wednesday, with a thunderstorm possible, according to the NWS Charlotte forecast at 10 a.m. Wednesday. Skies should be partly sunny, with the high near 91 degrees, the forecast showed.

Showers have a 40% chance of continuing overnight, and a 70% chance of persisting most of Thursday, NWS meteorologists said.

Showers and thunderstorms are possible again after 2 p.m. Friday, with sunny to mostly sunny skies predicted Saturday through Tuesday, the forecast showed.

The NWS predicts highs to drop to 86 on Thursday, 80 on Friday and 75 on Saturday, before increasing to 78 on Sunday and 79 on Monday and Tuesday.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.