Severe Weather Thread 2026

[BooneWX]

Those are clear skies an hour after that first line and not a long distance from the main line here in the foothills. That can’t bode well for folks down east.


.

[SUNYGRAD]

Power outage maps are not too bad at moment in states to our west and southwest, not sure this will hold in NC and other states to our north once the system moves east and all rounds of storms move thru.  Georgia at moment has the highest at about 1% total customers.

[wncsnow]

Squall line moving through here now. Nothing too crazy so far.

[Shack]

63deg and Tornado Warning here in Macon-Bibb.

Another fun morning with the wife and dogs huddled in the hall as this rotation passed right over my home.

This was almost a carbon-copy of Thursday morning's track as the F-1 was about a mile north of my house.

[NorthHillsWx]

Maybe I’m just optimistic but we had a lot of rain this morning and it’s thick overcast with storms progged to initiate in the next 2-3 hours. Barely windy too. Don’t ever remember significant severe events here with late morning to noon timing and cloudy/rainy antecedent conditions. Definitely some juice, anything that goes up is popping lightning even small cells to our east but this does not have the look of a classic event here in central NC. Parameters are concerning but with CAPE lacking we might not maximize the potential, or so I hope

[mclean02]

3 minutes ago, NorthHillsWx said:

Maybe I’m just optimistic but we had a lot of rain this morning and it’s thick overcast with storms progged to initiate in the next 2-3 hours. Barely windy too. Don’t ever remember significant severe events here with late morning to noon timing and cloudy/rainy antecedent conditions. Definitely some juice, anything that goes up is popping lightning even small cells to our east but this does not have the look of a classic event here in central NC. Parameters are concerning but with CAPE lacking we might not maximize the potential, or so I hope

I hope its not bad already clear here in Charlotte so not sure if that would translate the same up there well before mid day. 

[kvegas-wx]

First lightning here in the triad as this first line passes thru.  Very heavy rain in bursts, gusty winds but nothing serious at all. So far a nothingburger.  Hope it stays that way.

Edit - within 10 minutes the sun is back and some blue skies are out.  Going to get some mid day heating in advance of the main line for sure.

[mclean02]

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
829 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

NCC045-SCC021-087-161300-
/O.CON.KGSP.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-260316T1300Z/
Cleveland NC-Cherokee SC-Union SC-
829 AM EDT Mon Mar 16 2026

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN CLEVELAND...CHEROKEE AND NORTHWESTERN UNION COUNTIES...

At 829 AM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 8 miles north of Gaffney, or 4 miles southwest of Boiling
Springs NC, moving east at 45 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is
         likely.

This dangerous storm will be near...
  Patterson Springs and Earl around 840 AM EDT.

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Cherokee Falls, Draytonville, Thicketty, Saratt, and Kings Creek.

[BooneWX]

The line just moved through my neck of the woods. No lightning, heavy rain and maybe a few gusts to around 30mph. It’s definitely getting its act together as it marches east though. 
 

A lot of Charlotte cams showing the same clearing I saw earlier. What are you folks seeing further east?

[SUNYGRAD]

Storm Prediction Center Mar 16, 2026 1300 UTC Day 1 Convective Outlook -----issued 8:32 EDT

SUMMARY..
   Fast moving thunderstorms may become widespread and accompanied by
   the risk for damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes across the Mid
   Atlantic today.  There is potential that a couple of storms could
   become capable of producing strong and long track tornadoes.

   ...Southeast States...
   An intense upper trough continues to deepen over the Mid MS Valley,
   with its associated surface cold front surging eastward across the
   Appalachians and into the Carolinas/Mid-Atlantic.  An active line of
   thunderstorms is accompanying the front from GA into western
   SC/NC/VA.  Low-level winds are very strong along and ahead of these
   storms, encouraging the risk of numerous severe wind gusts and
   embedded QLCS tornadoes along the line.  Clusters of thunderstorms
   have been developing ahead of the line as well, in a moist and
   strongly sheared environment.  These storms will also pose a
   severe/tornado risk through the day as the primary large-scale
   ascent arrives.

[NorthHillsWx]

1 minute ago, BooneWX said:

The line just moved through my neck of the woods. No lightning, heavy rain and maybe a few gusts to around 30mph. It’s definitely getting its act together as it marches east though. 
 

A lot of Charlotte cams showing the same clearing I saw earlier. What are you folks seeing further east?

64, dense overcast with a bunch of crud developing and moving into triangle area. Think the area of clearing is thin at best 

[SUNYGRAD]

Some sun trying to poke out in Winston Salem after first line moved thru.  But still rather thick clouds.  

[SUNYGRAD]

[SUNYGRAD]

   A remnant QLCS is emerging east of the Appalachians,
   where it is showing some early signs of re-intensification. Farther
   east, a disorganized band of thunderstorms is also evolving over
   parts of western VA into NC. While overall convective evolution is
   not clear, these storms will continue spreading eastward into a
   destabilizing air mass (around 500-1000 J/kg MLCAPE). Despite the
   somewhat limited buoyancy, strong low/deep-layer shear characterized
   by clockwise-curved low-level hodographs (see GSO 12Z sounding) will
   favor a mix of organized line segments and supercells, with a risk
   of damaging wind gusts and a few tornadoes (some potentially
   strong). A watch issuance is likely for this activity.

[Ander]

Tornado watch just went into effect at 855 am for of the Triangle and beyond until 2pm.

 

NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ALAMANCE             ANSON               CASWELL
CHATHAM              CUMBERLAND          DAVIDSON
DURHAM               FORSYTH             GRANVILLE
GUILFORD             HARNETT             HOKE
LEE                  MONTGOMERY          MOORE
ORANGE               PERSON              RANDOLPH
RICHMOND             ROCKINGHAM          SCOTLAND
STANLY               STOKES              VANCE
WAKE

 

https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NCZ024&warncounty=NCC135&firewxzone=NCZ024&local_place1=6 Miles ESE Saxapahaw NC&product1=Tornado+Watch&lat=35.9087&lon=-79.2295

[Dunkman]

80/60 tornado probabilities on that watch. Gonna be a long day.

[SUNYGRAD]

 

 

Pretty rare to see to see 3 categories "high."

 

[eyewall]

I don't see this being very chaseable to be honest and also I am not sure on the instability factor with all these showers. Looks messy.

[mclean02]

Charlotte Tornado warning i think Goldsboro to Triangle area will be the area with the highest chance of seeing something today. Seems like that is normal area for these type of events. 

[kvegas-wx]

Tornado warning issued for the triad.  I understand issuing a large scale warning to get everyone's attention, but this just feels so messy, scattered and wrong.  Not sure the word I want to use.  Overly broad maybe?

Sun is out literally 5 minutes before this line hits Walkertown and Kernersville.  Crazy!!  I can see it coming.

Edit - done.  10 minutes of rain.  Absolute nothingburger for the triad.  

[NorthHillsWx]

IP and SN reports almost all the way to New Orleans! What a dynamic system 

[PackGrad05]

Turning into a typical messy line for central NC.  Spin-ups still possible of course, but the discrete supercell risk is decreasing.

Straight line winds will be the primary story.  

[NorthHillsWx]

17 minutes ago, PackGrad05 said:

Turning into a typical messy line for central NC.  Spin-ups still possible of course, but the discrete supercell risk is decreasing.

Straight line winds will be the primary story.  

Do you think they’ll adjust the wording or bring hazard levels down? Nothing about this seems high end for severe at all just looking out the window and glancing at radar

[eyewall]

3 minutes ago, NorthHillsWx said:

Do you think they’ll adjust the wording or bring hazard levels down? Nothing about this seems high end for severe at all just looking out the window and glancing at radar

I don't see how they maintain the MDT. This should be a Slight to be honest. A high shear low cape event. I think they walk it back to ENH and shift it east a bit but we shall see.

[NorthHillsWx]

Stratiform rain falling across level 3/4 threat areas in SC without a single warning is all you need to know about how this is panning out mostly (thankfully) 

[NorthHillsWx]

1 minute ago, eyewall said:

I don't see how they maintain the MDT. This should be a Slight to be honest. A high shear low cape event. I think they walk it back to ENH and shift it east a bit but we shall see.

I think it’s gotta be walked back at this point. I knew when I woke up to thunder and light rain with the main event focused around noon vs late afternoon there just wouldn’t be time for the atmosphere to recover. What’s really surprising given what’s going on in mid levels is how tame the wind is at the surface, just a light southerly breeze. No gusts at all. That to me screams stabilized lower levels 

[SEwakenosnowforu]

Just typical NC weather. Nothing is high end about these storms YET at least.

[eyewall]

2 minutes ago, NorthHillsWx said:

I think it’s gotta be walked back at this point. I knew when I woke up to thunder and light rain with the main event focused around noon vs late afternoon there just wouldn’t be time for the atmosphere to recover. What’s really surprising given what’s going on in mid levels is how tame the wind is at the surface, just a light southerly breeze. No gusts at all. That to me screams stabilized lower levels 

Agreed On the big days here it is usually very windy even outside storms. 4/16/2011 being the prime example. The problem is this was a cry wolf event and so when we do get a big one that may be an issue.

[SEwakenosnowforu]

1 minute ago, NorthHillsWx said:

I think it’s gotta be walked back at this point. I knew when I woke up to thunder and light rain with the main event focused around noon vs late afternoon there just wouldn’t be time for the atmosphere to recover. What’s really surprising given what’s going on in mid levels is how tame the wind is at the surface, just a light southerly breeze. No gusts at all. That to me screams stabilized lower levels 

I thought the same thing about the surface winds. Normally we would be gusting outside of T storms 40 to 50 MPH. Rain showers causing this to be EPIC bust. lol

[PackGrad05]

One thing I'm watching is the cluster of storms moving north near Southern Pines and approaching the front moving east.  That pinch point will have a lot of shear and we could get some rotating storms within the next 30-60 minutes.