NORTH CAROLINA — A cold front sitting just to the north, combined with plenty of heat and humidity building through the afternoon, will spark scattered thunderstorms once again that move southeast across the region between 3 and 11 p.m. Sunday. Because of morning cloud cover in some locations, storms may not get going until after 3 p.m., but they could linger longer into the evening.
Slight Risk Zone Covers a Broad Corridor From Charlotte to Charleston
The Slight Risk, Level 2, zone stretches from Charlotte and Lumberton south through Florence, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, extending down to Charleston and Augusta. Within this zone, a few storms could become severe, with damaging wind gusts exceeding 60 mph possible.
Any storm that develops today will be capable of producing gusty winds, torrential downpours and frequent lightning, consistent with the pattern seen over the past few days.
Marginal Risk Extends Across the Rest of the Region
A Marginal Risk, Level 1, covers the remaining area, including Asheville, Boone, Greensboro, Raleigh, New Bern and Elizabeth City. While the overall threat is lower in this zone, isolated strong storms with gusty winds remain possible.
If a Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for any area, it means damaging winds have either been detected by Doppler radar or reported on the ground.
Rainfall Will Remain Highly Scattered and Inconsistent
The key word once again is scattered, meaning while everyone needs the rain, there’s no guarantee any one location will get it. Some neighborhoods may pick up a quick inch or more of rain, while others just a few miles away could stay completely dry…