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 miles per hour, and the storm covered a path of roughly one and a half miles. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Meteorologist 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 in the area, 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. In addition to the warehouse incident, a large tree fell on a home in southeast Charlotte around 10 a. m. , though the homeowner was not inside when it happened. The storm also 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.