North Carolina and South Carolina Face Brief Shower or Storm Between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM Wednesday May 13 With Shelby Seeing Up to 0.42 Inches and Charlotte Tracking 0.19 Inches
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina — A passing front will squeeze out a brief shower or storm across portions of North Carolina and South Carolina tonight between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM Wednesday, May 13, 2026, with the heaviest rainfall concentrated along a narrow corridor from Shelby and Gastonia through Charlotte, Salisbury and Greensboro.
This is not a major rain event. The front will produce what it can before pushing through, with totals dropping off sharply outside the core corridor by Thursday, 12:00 AM.
Futurecast Radar at 9:00 PM Wednesday
The 9:00 PM futurecast shows the most active storm cells in a tight band stretching from Spartanburg, South Carolina and Greenville, South Carolina northeastward through Shelby, Gastonia, Charlotte, Lincolnton, Concord and Salisbury toward Greensboro. The heaviest cells shown in orange and red are concentrated directly over the Charlotte metro and Salisbury corridor at 9:00 PM, while lighter rain extends into Statesville, Hickory and Raleigh.
Communities west of Charlotte including Shelby and Rutherfordton are in the path of the most intense cells during the 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM window.
Rainfall Totals by City Through Thursday 12:00 AM
The futurecast rainfall map tells a clear story of a very localized event with sharp gradients between the wettest and driest spots:
| City | Rainfall Total |
|---|---|
| Shelby, North Carolina | 0.42″ |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | 0.19″ |
| Gastonia, North Carolina | 0.13″ |
| Lincolnton, North Carolina | 0.13″ |
| Concord, North Carolina | 0.13″ |
| Monroe, North Carolina | 0.11″ |
| Salisbury, North Carolina | 0.14″ |
| Greensboro, North Carolina | 0.14″ |
| Asheboro, North Carolina | 0.11″ |
| Statesville, North Carolina | 0.02″ |
| Jefferson, North Carolina | 0.17″ |
| Rutherfordton, North Carolina | 0.02″ |
| Rock Hill, South Carolina | 0.05″ |
| Albemarle, North Carolina | 0.02″ |
| Raleigh, North Carolina | 0.01″ |
| Boone, North Carolina | 0.01″ |
| Asheville, North Carolina | 0.01″ |
| Hickory, North Carolina | 0 |
| Morganton, North Carolina | 0 |
| Spartanburg, South Carolina | 0 |
| Chester, South Carolina | 0 |
| Lancaster, South Carolina | 0 |
Shelby at 0.42 inches stands out as the wettest spot in the entire region tonight, more than double the 0.19 inches forecast for Charlotte and far above the near-zero totals across Hickory, Morganton and Spartanburg.
What to Expect Tonight
This is a brief event. Residents across Charlotte, Gastonia, Shelby and Greensboro should expect one round of showers or a brief storm rolling through between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM tonight before conditions clear heading into Thursday morning. Roads may become slick quickly given the dry conditions leading up to tonight’s front, so allow extra stopping distance during the shower window.
Communities showing zero rainfall including Hickory, Morganton, Spartanburg and Lancaster may see nothing more than clouds tonight as the front squeezes its limited moisture out along the narrowest corridor before pushing through.
WaldronNews.com will continue tracking tonight’s brief shower and storm chances across North Carolina and South Carolina including Charlotte, Shelby, Gastonia and Greensboro and will provide updates as rainfall totals and front timing develop through Wednesday, May 13 night.