Strong thunderstorms delay, cancel flights at Charlotte airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Severe weather impacted dozens of flights at Charlotte Douglas International Airport on Sunday. 

According to flight-tracking website Flight-Aware, over 100 flights were either delayed or canceled. As of 8:45 a.m. Sunday, there were 119 delays and 66 cancellations at Charlotte Douglas. 

The delays come as a line of strong thunderstorms pushed into the Charlotte metro around 7 a.m. These storms produced gusty winds up to 60 mph in South Carolina and dumped heavy rain across the Charlotte region. The entire Charlotte area is under a Wind Advisory until 4 p.m. Sunday, with strong gusts expected to linger even after the storms are gone.

These wind gusts are known as “non-thunderstorm winds.” These winds are near the surface and when they’re stronger, damage potential is much higher.

As the storms push east, there will be a greater risk of severe weather in southern and southeastern counties due to warm air advection, or warming ahead of a storm system. This will provide plenty of instability and moisture, allowing for storms to become strong to even severe.

Even if Charlotte doesn’t see severe weather, there could be widespread power outages due to downed trees. Oversaturated soil from a rainy week could lead to a major problem, especially in south Charlotte where trees are more susceptible to falling during storms. City arborist Laurie Reid told WCNC Charlotte that homeowners should be prepared for the possibility of a tree falling in their neighborhood.

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