Jetton Harris Teeter 11 pm Monday

Sept. 11. By Dave Yochum. UPDATE 11AM. If the volume of bread and water flying off the shelves at Harris Teeter is a good barometer of what people think about Hurricane Florence, our first major hurricane of 2018 could be a serious weather event as far inland as we are.

Florence could make landfall on the North Carolina coast Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning.

Cornelius parents are bracing for high winds and college students coming home from the coast. UNC-Wilmington issued a mandatory evacuation on Monday.

Lake Norman is expected to receive heavy rain and tropical storm-force winds.

If Florence stalls over the state as expected, Hurricane Florence could drop feet of rain. It’s a good idea to make sure there’s gas in the car and prepare for potential power outages and flooding.

It looks like we’re in for days and days of rain.

The National Weather Service says we’ll have rain through Monday.

The weather service is calling for scattered showers and thunderstorms today, mainly after noon. Tonight look for more showers and thunderstorms, with more rain. Winds will pick up later in the week. Here’s the official weather outlook for 28031.

WHAT RED CROSS SAYS YOU SHOULD DO

• Build an emergency kit with a gallon of water per person, per day (recommended 3 days), non-perishable food, a flashlight, battery-powered radio, first aid kit, medications, supplies for an infant if applicable, a multi-purpose tool, personal hygiene items, copies of important papers, cell phone chargers, extra cash, blankets, maps of the area and emergency contact information. Many of these items are available through the Red Cross Store at redcrossstore.org.
• Talk with household members and create an evacuation plan. Practicing the plan minimizes confusion and fear during the event.
• Have a communication plan. Identify someone outside the impacted area to call to check-in or leave messages.
• Be informed. Listen to your local weather channel or follow NOAA weather reports. Learn about the community’s hurricane response plan. Plan routes to local shelters, register family members with special medical needs as required and make plans for pets.
• Download the free Red Cross Emergency App to set severe weather and emergency alerts on a mobile device. The content includes expert guidance on what to do before, during and after different emergencies or disasters from home fires to hurricanes. The app can be found in smartphone app stores by searching for American Red Cross, texting ‘EMERGENCY’ to 90999, or by going to redcross.org/apps.

National Weather Service Forecast for Cornelius
Tuesday
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after noon. Patchy fog before 11am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Tuesday night
Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 7pm. Patchy fog after 5am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Calm wind. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday
A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 11am. Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 86. East northeast wind 3 to 5 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Wednesday Night
A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71. Northeast wind around 5 mph. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday
A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly between 10am and 2pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 86. North northeast wind 7 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
Thursday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 72. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Friday
A chance of showers, with thunderstorms also possible after 1pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 83. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night
A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Saturday
A 40 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 84.
Saturday Night
A 40 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70.
Sunday
A 50 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 83.
Sunday Night
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday
Showers likely. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 82. Chance of precipitation is 60%.