Tornado Touches Charlotte Warehouse, Leaves Minor Damage

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF‑0 tornado struck a warehouse in northeast Charlotte on Monday, ripping the roof off and causing some damage to the property. The tornado’s winds reached about 85 mph, and the storm covered a path of roughly 1½ miles. Fortunately, no injuries were reported.

Meteorologist on the Scene

• Brad Panovich received reports of damage near Atando Avenue around 10:30 a.m. and suspected a tornado had touched down.
• After inspecting the site, NWS crews agreed with his assessment, noting that tree tops were sheared off in a pattern typical of tornado damage.
• The storm touched down southwest of the warehouse and lifted just beyond it, leaving minimal impact outside the building.

Panovich said he could be almost certain that a tornado had occurred, describing the damage as consistent with an EF‑0 or possibly borderline EF‑1. He and fellow meteorologist Chris Mulcahy pointed out a damage trail that matched the tornado warning issued during the storm, and noted similar damage in nearby Sedgefield and Freedom Park.

Additional Impacts

• A large tree fell on a home in southeast Charlotte around 10 a.m., though the homeowner was not inside.
• The storm caused power outages, leaving over 7 500 Duke Energy customers without electricity across North Carolina, including about 4 000 in the Charlotte area.

The utility company expects power to be restored by 6 p.m., but many residents remain without electricity as the region recovers from Monday’s severe weather.