UPDATED 5:20 p.m.
Heavy rains and high winds are forecast to continue Tuesday afternoon in the Charlotte area. Rainfall totals are expected to be about two inches in many areas around Charlotte and sustained 20 mph winds are expected through much of the region with gusts of up to 55 mph also in the forecast from the National Weather Service.
One person was killed and two others critically injured in a Catawba County mobile home park.
Catawba County Spokesperson Amy McCauley confirmed the death shortly after 4 p.m. She said the storm damaged several buildings, with some collapsing, in the mobile home park in the Claremont neighborhood.
The National Weather Service is investigating the possibility of a tornado touching down in the area
Eastern Gaston, Mecklenburg and northeastern York counties were in a flash flood warning until 7 p.m. Between 1 and 1.5 inches of rain has fallen. Additional rain amounts of 1 to 2 inches are possible.
Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency ahead of the severe weather. Cooper says his executive order will temporarily reduce trucking restrictions. That will ensure supplies can get where needed and power crews can work quickly.
The governor says emergency responders are ready to deal with heavy wind, rain and flooding across the state.
"We have a swift water rescue team activated and ready to be deployed. We do expect power outages. When we talked with emergency management this morning, there were about 3,000 customers so far without power but we expect that to increase. And we hope that the storm is not as bad as they are predicting, but we need to be ready for it," Cooper said.
A wind advisory remains in effect in the Charlotte metro area, forecasters say the region may have gusts up to 55 mph. As the severe weather system continues to move across the southeast, it will cause problems for commuters and air travelers. Charlotte Douglas International Airport is starting to see the effects. According to the flight tracking website FlightAware 150 flights have been delayed and 24 canceled. For the latest flight updates check CLTAirport.com.
View live weather radar here.