Winter Storm Warnings in Effect Ahead of Friday Snow

This forecast is a tricky one with the big question being when the cold air will reach the region. So we’ll start out with where confidence is the highest with the wintry weather. Snow and cold rain will begin tonight. A Winter Storm Warning goes into effect at 7 pm for the mountains and foothills. A winter storm watch is in effect for all other areas north of I-40. An all snow event will be likely for those under the winter storm warning. accumulations exceeding 6″ will be possible for the highest elevations with 3-5″ of snow for the foothills. North of I-40 we could see 2-4″ of snow. Things get more tricky south of I-40 into the I-85. This is where we will see a wintry mix. Closer to I-40 and for the higher elevations 1-3″ of snow will be possible. Further south, an accumulation looks less likely. Areas north of I-85 could see wet flakes mix in as early as tomorrow morning. However, based on the timing of the colder air and consistency of models, I’m eyeing the mix of rain/snow for the Charlotte metro area for the late afternoon. The ground will be too warm for any significant accumulation. However, a slushy accumulation is looking more likely as we saw with our last accumulating winter snow back in February of 2020. This could make things slippery. Temps will drop below freezing Friday night – so even areas that just see a straight rain could be dealing with icy spots across the region Saturday morning. Cool for the weekend with highs only reaching the upper 40s. A chance for precip returns early next week.