Tornado Watch for 22 Central NC Counties on Severe Weather Day

Central North Carolina faced a heightened threat of severe weather on Monday, March 16, as a powerful cold front triggered widespread thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes and damaging winds across the region, including the Triangle area.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for 22 counties, encompassing Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Lee, and Moore, effective until 2 p.m. Officials described the system as carrying a level 4 moderate risk out of five, a rare designation from the Storm Prediction Center indicating potential for long-lived, widespread severe storms. Forecasters estimated a 45 to 60 percent chance of damaging winds reaching up to 74 miles per hour in central areas, with isolated gusts possibly hitting 85 miles per hour, alongside risks of large hail and brief but significant tornadoes. A 15 to 30 percent probability of strong tornadoes was highlighted, particularly in the eastern Piedmont, Sandhills, and Coastal Plain.

The storms began influencing the area early Monday with scattered rain and possible supercells, a type of intense thunderstorm, in the morning hours until around noon or 1 p.m. The primary line of severe weather was expected to...