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Panovich: Severe storms will bring strong winds to Charlotte on Election Day

"There's always a secondary peak of severe weather right around November when we transition from summer to winter," said chief meteorologist Brad Panovich.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A line of powerful storms will bring the threat of damaging winds to the Charlotte area Tuesday.

Chief meteorologist Brad Panovich said the severe weather outlook for Charlotte has gone down but there's still going to be strong winds late Tuesday morning and early afternoon.

"The storms are weakening but there's a lot of strong winds associated with them," Panovich said.

Panovich is tracking a batch of storms that's moving east into the Piedmont of North Carolina. They're expected to reach Charlotte around 11 a.m. By 2 p.m., Panovich expects those storms to move out of the area and fizzle out.

"The worst weather is probably going to be when it's between Asheville, Hickory and Charlotte," Panovich said.

What to expect Tuesday

Panovich said the worst weather will be between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tuesday in Charlotte. Some areas could see wind gusts up to 50 mph. As of 10:30 a.m., Panovich said some areas had already recorded gusts between 25-35 mph.

Overall, though, the chance of tornadoes is all but gone at this point.

"There are a couple of small cells with a little rotation but it's very weak and overall, not much is showing up," Panovich said.

Afternoon temperatures are expected to reach the low 70s and Panovich doesn't expect the weather system to have a major impact on voters in the Carolinas.

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What's causing these severe storms?

Panovich said the strong gusts are coming from what's known as 5,000 millibar winds. Those are winds that are measured about 5,000 feet off the earth's surface. When they combine with rain, you get what's called a "low-level jet."

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