Winter storm update: Latest on impacts and timing

The most significant winter storm to impact the Charlotte metro region will arrive Friday bringing a mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain to the region. A few things have changed over the last 24 hours including a winter storm watch that is now in effect for much of the region from Friday morning through Saturday morning.

Snow will be the primary mode of precipitation at the start of the storm for the entire region. The timing of the storm has changed with snow beginning to arrive Friday late morning in the mountains and northern foothills. It will move into the I-77 corridor between 12 – 2 p.m., with widespread snow by 4 p.m. across the region. Snow will transition to sleet and freezing rain early in the evening from the south as a warmer nose creeps into the region. This will push north towards the I-85 corridor and Charlotte metro region later in the evening with mainly snow and a little bit of sleet mixing in up into the I-40 corridor overnight. The wintry weather will clear out by 2-3 a.m. with the exception of the mountains where upslope flow will keep snow in the forecast through midday.

Mainly Snow, Some Sleet near the I-40 corridor

3-6 inches of snowfall, 6″+ above 5000′

Light Glaze

I-85 and North

Snow to Wintry Mix

1-3 inches of snowfall

.10-.20″ of ice

South and east of I-85

Mainly Wintry Mix/Ice

<1 inch of snowfall

.10-.25″ of ice

Friday morning’s commute will be manageable, but it will become more difficult after midday Friday. Conditions will deteriorate rapidly Friday afternoon making travel difficult and likely dangerous through Saturday morning. Any accumulation of ice will cause issues on the roads, especially untreated roads, bridges, and overpasses. Ice accumulations of more than .20-.25″ could also bring down tree limbs and cause scattered power outages.

Keep up with the latest on the winter storm form the WCCB WeatherWise team by downloading the WCCB Weather App.