Winter Storm Will Bring Snow, Ice to Carolinas this Weekend

Nicole Madden,

 

AM Headlines
  • Clouds fill in this morning
  • Light snow for the mountains tonight
    • 1/2 to 1″ of snow
  • Chilly Saturday
  • Winter Storm Begins Overnight Saturday into Sunday
Discussion
Clouds filling in this morning and will stick around all day. A disturbance will bring snow overnight for the mountains. Not enough moisture to tap into outside of the high country so the rest of the region will stay dry. Expect 1/2 to1″ of snow for the higher elevations by Friday morning. Clouds will clear overnight with temps still warm Friday. But, colder air will be moving in fast with temps struggling to get out of the mid-40s Saturday afternoon.
Sunday’s Winter Storm
Models are lining up a little better today meaning the forecast is on track to bring a sampler platter of winter weather to the region. However, there is still slight variability in the track of this low which will determine where the sleet/freezing rain sets up. The onset of wintry weather will begin overnight Saturday. Cold air will already be in place at the onset of this event which means precip will start as snow across much of the region. Warmer air aloft nudges near the I-85 corridor by mid to late morning. Temps will remain near freezing at the surface meaning a change over to sleet and even freezing rain. This line will lift north likely bringing icy conditions even into the I-40 corridor. This also means we will have more ice than snow accumulation across the region – especially near and south of I85. As this low heads toward the northeast late Sunday, we could see another changeover briefly to snow west of I-77 as areas south and east of I-85 begin to dry out. The mountains will likely see snow through midday Monday as drier air settles into the rest of the region. Impacts will be felt well beyond Sunday and Monday with travel issues and power outages a concern for the entire region under the weight of snow and ice.
WHAT WE KNOW
Winter Storm is LIKELY Sunday for the region.
TIMING Overnight Saturday through Sunday.
Snow could linger through midday Monday for the Mountains
DURATION 24-36 hrs
PRECIP TYPE Wintry Mix
Mountains: Mainly Snow
Foothills: Mainly Snow, Brief Wintry Mix
More Uncertain Depending on Track of Low:

I-40 to I-85: Snow to start, changing to sleet/freezing rain by mid-morning Sun

South of I-85: Mainly Rain/Wintry Mix

WIND Gusts 30-40 mph

IMPACTS Widespread travel issues, power outages lasting days