Cool and dry Tuesday, ahead of winter storm

• Winter Weather Advisory
  • 1AM Wed – 1PM Thu
• Travel Impacts
• Black Ice Thursday
• Arctic Chill Lingers
• Warmer Next Week

 High pressure to the north will keep temperatures cool today with highs reaching the low 50s. Clouds will build in as a developing low pressure system in the Gulf pushes moisture back into the region Wednesday.

A winter weather advisory goes into effect overnight through Thursday afternoon due to impacts from the approaching winter storm. Snow will begin to fall in the mountains and foothills before daybreak, with a mix of snow, sleet and cold rain developing across the Piedmont and spreading southward  by mid-morning. Locations near and south of the NC/SC border may see some sleet/snow mix in with rain early, but that will likely transition back to a cold rain quickly. Accumulations will likely stay under an inch in the Piedmont with a light glaze of ice possible, with 1-2″ across the the foothills and 2-4″ for the mountains through Thursday. The higher snow totals will likely be for the NC coast with higher and more disruptive ice accumulations east of I-77 as the low stays off the Carolina coast.

Wintry weather will likely wrap up outside of the mountains by Wednesday night, but a flash freeze will likely lead to black ice for any wet surface Wednesday night as temperatures fall into the teens and 20s. It will remain cold, but dry through the end of the week with highs in the upper 30s to lower 40s.

Temps will slowly warm through the weekend, getting back into the low 60s by early next week.