Arctic blast deepens as snow continues in High Country, flurries possible in Piedmont

Get ready for our first real taste of winter this season. Sunday’s cold front has opened the floodgates for an Arctic blast to sweep through the Carolinas over the next 36 hours, bringing the coldest air the Queen City has seen in over 250 days. Northwesterly flow is currently bringing many High Country communities their first measurable snowfalls of the season, and some flakes may even find their way into the Piedmont and Foothills overnight Monday into Tuesday. Short-range models suggest a thin band of flurries will develop along the I-40 corridor shortly before midnight as energy from an upper-level low sweeps eastward. While most – if not all – of the snow will remain north of the Metro, a stray flurry in the immediate Charlotte area can’t be ruled out.

The big story for all of us, however, will be the cold. Freeze Warnings are in effect for much of the Piedmont and Foothills tonight as lows dip into the 20s and teens across the board. Wind chills will likely dive into the single digits Tuesday morning in our mountain counties as the snow steadily dries up. Feels-like temperatures may sink near 20° in the Queen City as we kick off the second day of the workweek. While this cold snap is sharp, it will also be short; highs will surge back into the 60s around the Metro by Wednesday and could even crack 70° again by the end of the week. Outside of scant snow chances over the next 24 hours, moisture will be hard to come by through the next five days.

Monday: Cold sunshine with mountain snow. Brisk and blustery. High: 47°. Wind: NW 10-20. Gusts: 25+

Monday Night: Freeze Warnings in effect. Stray flurry N? Low: 28°. Wind: NW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Tuesday: Chilly sunshine continues. High: 49°. Wind: W 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Tuesday Night: Another clear and cold night. Low: 36°. Wind: SW 5-15. Gusts: 20+

Wednesday: Sunny. Noticeably warmer. High: 64°. Wind: SW 5-15. Gusts: 20+