ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA — A Level 1 severe weather risk is in place today across a broad swath of the western Carolinas and upstate South Carolina, with storms expected to begin popping up this afternoon and evening. While coverage won’t be widespread, any storm that develops has the potential to quickly turn strong to severe.
Gusty Winds Large Hail and Lightning Are Main Threats
Forecasters have identified three primary threats for today’s storms: gusty winds, large hail, and frequent lightning. The atmosphere has been producing very frequent cloud to ground lightning recently, and today’s setup supports another round of that activity, making lightning a hazard not to overlook despite the lower overall severe risk level.
The Level 1 risk zone covers a wide area including Asheville, Hendersonville, and Franklin in western North Carolina, extending east through Charlotte, Monroe, and Winston-Salem. The zone also stretches south into South Carolina, covering Greenville, Anderson, and Columbia.
Storms Expected To Be Scattered Between 3 and 8 PM
Timing for today’s storm threat is expected to run from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., with coverage described as scattered rather than widespread. Knoxville, Johnson City, and Morristown to the north and west are also included in the broader risk area, along with Gainesville and Toccoa in northeast Georgia.
Despite the scattered nature of coverage, any storm that does develop over a particular area could rapidly intensify given the atmospheric conditions in place today.
Hot and Humid Conditions Persist For Those Who Miss The Storms
For areas that don’t see storm development today, forecasters say another hot and humid day is expected, with heat index values running between 100 and 103 degrees. This combination of heat and storm potential is expected to continue through the afternoon and evening hours across the region…