Wet & chilly week ahead
We'll want to watch for ice and sleet potential on our Tuesday and Wednesday mornings along I-40 and northward.
Sunny skies and toasty highs near 80º around the Metro have made for a superb Super Bowl Sunday, but don’t expect the good times to last long. Big changes arrive overnight as a weak disturbance brings scattered showers and sharply cooler air filters into the Carolinas from the northeast. A stray shower or misting may linger into Monday morning, but we’ll remain dry for most of the day. There’s a bit of a forecast conundrum: If overcast skies stick around through the majority of the day, highs will struggle to clear the 40s; if sunshine arrives earlier than expected, temperatures will easily cruise into the mid-to-upper 50s.
The forecast turns downright messy on Tuesday as moisture arrives from the southwest. As lows dip into the 30s along I-85 and to the northwest, the potential for wintry weather is on the table. While the vast majority of the ice, sleet, and snow will remain north of the WCCB Charlotte viewing area, a communities along I-40 and northward may see a brief wintry mix Tuesday morning before transitioning to all rain by noon. The mountains may see impactful ice and sleet totals as temperatures remain below freezing for the entirety of the day.
Expect several more rounds of moisture between Tuesday and Thursday evening, which may total 2-4″ across the board. A wintry mix is possible again Wednesday morning along I-40 and northward, but rain will continue to be the dominant precipitation type everywhere outside of the highest elevations. Highs in the Metro will not get out of the lower 40s on Tuesday and Wednesday, but warmer air arrives on Thursday. Friday is trending drier, but another round of showers may slide into the Carolinas by next weekend.
Tonight: Clouds build with a few scattered showers. Low: 45°. Wind: NE 5-15. Gusts: 20+
Monday: AM clouds with a strays shower. PM clearing possible. High: 49°. Wind: NE 5-15.
Monday Night: Clouds return. Mountain snow/sleet. Low: 37°. Wind: E 5-10.
Tuesday: Cold and wet. AM wintry mix possible N. High: 40°. NE 5-10.