News
Storms sweep through much of North Carolina
Tornadoes hit eastern part of state, destroy mobile homes, store
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Published: May 12, 2008
Tornado watches were issued for two-thirds of North Carolina yesterday afternoon as storm systems swept across the state.
A tornado warning was issued for parts of Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Iredell and Lincoln counties late yesterday afternoon. Law-enforcement officers in Lincoln County reported a funnel cloud near Highway 73 east of Lincolnton, officials with the National Weather Service in Raleigh said.
Spotters reported baseball-size hail four miles west of Concord, and golf ball-size hail in parts of Cabarrus and northern Mecklenburg counties.
At least two tornadoes were reported in Eastern North Carolina. High winds destroyed mobile homes yesterday in the Belgrade and Maysville community on the Jones-Onslow county line. A store in Maysville was also demolished.
The storms were remnants of the weather system that ripped through parts of the central U.S. producing tornadoes that left 22 dead.
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for Forsyth County shortly after 2 p.m. yesterday as an initial band of storms blew through the region.
Brandon Locklear, a weather-service forecaster in Raleigh, said that the possibility of tornadoes was caused by a warm front moving into the state from the south.
However, cool, overcast conditions for much of the day kept the air from warming enough to cause extreme instability in the Triad's atmosphere, he said. "If not for the clouds, it could have been much worse," Locklear said.
The most serious problem reported from the first band of storms was an overturned truck on U.S. 52. More thunderstorms blew through the region early last night. No major problems were reported.
By the time people wake up today, the storm threat should be long gone, said Russell Henes, another weather-service meteorologist in Raleigh.
Today's forecast is for partly sunny skies with moderate winds from 20 to 25 mph and high temperatures in the upper 60s.
The next chance of rain will be Thursday.
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