CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Thunderstorms moved through the Charlotte area on Monday evening, bringing heavy rain and lightning.
Damage reports
These thunderstorms brought damage to some residents in the Charlotte area.
In Iredell County, around trees were reported down in a rural northern part of the county near Indian Hills Road. Structural damage due to wind was reported to a roof at a building north of Harmony near Troy Mill Road.
In Rowan County, a tree was reported to have fallen on a house on E 16th Street in Salisbury.
In Chesterfield County, trees and powerlines have been reported down near Powhite Parkway.
Hail reports
Golf ball-sized hall fell Monday as a severe thunderstorm moved through several counties, including Mecklenburg County in North Carolina. The thunderstorm brought the 1.75" size hail to Yadkin and Davie counties.
In Mecklenburg County, one-inch hail was reported in north Charlotte near David Cox Road around 9:30 p.m.
In Iredell County thus far, the largest hail confirmed was about one inch. Given the variety of photos and videos shared with the WCNC Charlotte Weather Center Monday, larger hail still could have fallen throughout the county.
In Cabarrus County, one-inch hail was reported in Cabarrus County around Kannapolis.
The storm threats Monday
In most of Charlotte and the surrounding portions of the Carolinas, the greatest threat from these storms is damaging wind. Panovich is forecasting a medium threat for strong winds across the Charlotte area.
The caveat, though, is there won't be widespread storms. They will be isolated, but the ones that do pop up could be severe.
"These will not be widespread," Panovich said in his forecast vlog on the WCNC Charlotte Weather IQ YouTube channel. "These are going to be more of the isolated storms, but the ones that we could get are going to be really, really strong."
Locations likely to see these strong winds include Charlotte, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, Monroe, Gastonia, Hickory, Concord, Kannapolis, Salisbury, Statesville and Hickory. The threat is slightly lower in the western North Carolina mountains, such as Boone and Blowing Rock, because the temperature is forecast to be slightly cooler there.
Panovich said this type of storm setup usually isn't found during summer, but it is common during the spring. He said the summer heat and humidity will combine with wind shear to meet really cool, dry air high in the atmosphere. This increases the risk of hail for the Carolinas.
"Hail is a high risk today," Panovich said. "Not because there's going to be a ton of hail, but the hail that develops could be big. So we call that a significant risk."
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: Supercell thunderstorms
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: Understanding flash flooding
Staying weather aware
Stay informed of severe weather by downloading the WCNC Charlotte app and enabling weather alerts for your location.
Severe weather warnings will also scroll across WCNC Charlotte television throughout the day as the alerts are issued by the National Weather Service.
WCNC Charlotte's Weather Team will have updates throughout the day on television. The team will also provide extended severe weather coverage streaming on WCNC+, the station's free streaming channel available on WCNC.com and the WCNC apps for phones, Roku, and Amazon Fire.
Finding your safe place
If the National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning or a Tornado Warning for your location, you should head to your safe place.
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: What defines a "Severe Thunderstorm Warning"
A safe place is a sturdy structure with as many walls between you and the outside as possible. The ideal location is on the lowest level of that structure and in the most interior room. You should avoid windows and doors that lead to the outside.
RAISE YOUR WEATHER IQ: Find your safe place
And remember... a "warning" means severe weather is imminent or already occurred. A "watch" means ingredients are possible for storm development in the minutes and hours ahead. Whenever a "watch" is issued, you should stay Weather Aware for the potential a "warning" could be issued.
WCNC Charlotte’s Weather IQ YouTube channel gives detailed explainers from the WCNC Charlotte meteorologists to help you learn and understand weather, climate and science. Watch previous stories where you can raise your Weather IQ in the YouTube playlist below and subscribe to get updated when new videos are uploaded.