Severe thunderstorm warning hits Alamance County with 60 mph winds and hail

A severe thunderstorm warning gave Alamance County less than an hour to get indoors Sunday evening as radar showed a storm near Elon pushing east at 55 mph with wind gusts up to 60 mph. The National Weather Service office in Raleigh issued the warning at 7:11 p.m. EDT and kept it in effect until 8 p.m., a short but potentially dangerous window for drivers, outdoor workers and families gathered at evening activities.

The warning covered the county as storms moved through central North Carolina, and Burlington-Alamance Regional Airport served as the local observation point for weather conditions in Alamance County. Gusts were reported at the airport, underscoring how quickly conditions could deteriorate across Burlington, Elon and nearby communities as the line of storms advanced.

The immediate hazard was wind strong enough to snap limbs, throw debris onto roads and make driving hazardous in a county where many trips run along busy corridors between Burlington, Elon and the surrounding unincorporated areas. Anyone caught outside was urged to seek shelter quickly, and people at ballfields, parks, job sites and summer evening events faced the highest risk as the storm crossed the county during the dinner hour.

Alamance County was also included in Severe Thunderstorm Watch 379, which covered 16 central North Carolina counties and remained in effect until 11 p.m. EDT. That broader watch signaled that additional storms could develop later in the evening even after the first warning expired, leaving the potential for more gusty winds and hail across the region.

For residents, the most important step was to move indoors and stay away from windows until the storm passed. Drivers on local roads needed to slow down, watch for sudden wind-driven rain and fallen limbs, and be ready for brief power interruptions if the strongest gusts brought down lines or caused isolated outages.