CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A cold front approaching the Carolinas Wednesday could lead to strong to severe storms.
Rainstorms covered the northern part of Charlotte in the early part of the morning, but that was only round one of this system. As the afternoon progresses, plenty of sunshine and daytime heating will prompt instability in the atmosphere.
By 2 p.m., thunderstorms across the region prompted the National Weather Service to start issuing Severe Thunderstorm Warnings, which are issued when a storm is capable of producing 60 mph damaging winds or quarter-size hail.
While the risk of storms Wednesday is considered "low," the chances of encountering one of these storms was spread across the greater Charlotte metro through places like Boone, Hickory, Rock Hill, and Monroe.
These chances will remain scattered throughout the early evening.
The primary threat will be spotty damaging wind gusts in excess of 60 mph.
An isolated thunderstorm could linger through midnight, but activity won't be as widespread.
If you hear thunder, you're close enough to be struck by lightning. Don't wait for a warning: Seek shelter anytime a thunderstorm is near.
The secondary threat will be pockets of heavy rain leading to potential flooding, especially in flood-prone regions.
In a few areas, we could also see pea- to nickel-sized hail. The threat for tornadoes is low, but not zero, so don't let your guard down.
Track the rain and storms live with WCNC Charlotte or stay weather aware by using the WCNC Charlotte news app.
If you want to sign up for weather alerts on the app, open the WCNC app (if you don’t already have it, you can find it on iTunes and in the Google Play store). Open Weather and tap on the city location pencil tool found halfway down the screen right under the orange label that says "Explore Radar Map." Then, select “Manage Location” or "Add Location" depending on your phone's settings and fill out the form that opens.
Contact Brittany Van Voorhees at bvanvoorhe@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.