Soggy Wednesday; Winter Storm Warning Tonight for Mountains

A brutal inversion layer kept the clouds firmly in place after yesterday’s rain. Cold air was trapped east of the mountains keeping temps well below forecasted, as highs only made it to the low 50s. It was actually warmer in the mountains with that added sunshine. Cold air damming happens a few times a year, and that shallow air mass made yesterday’s forecast a complete bust. WOMP WOMP.

On to today…

It will remain unseasonably cool across the region. Potential for patchy fog this morning, but expect widespread clouds with a chance for showers beginning this morning. Rain will become more steady during the day along a boundary for areas south of I-85. Showers will fill in across the rest of the region with cooler air riding in overnight. This leaves areas north of I-40 in the sweet spot for a changeover from rain to snow. A winter storm warning is in place for areas above 4500′, where 3-6″ of snow will be possible. The rest of the mountains will pick up 1-3″ of snow overnight into Thursday morning. We could get a few flakes across northern Piedmont, but an accumulation is unlikely. Central NC might have a litte more luck with a dusting, but not looking the best as of now for Charlotte as the colder air won’t arrive quickly enough. The winds will pick up tonight with gusts 40-50 mph possible for the mountains. It will remain breezy elsewhere through Thursday. Sunshine will creep back in through the rest of the week with dry weather in the forecast through Saturday.

Late in the weekend, another disturbance will likely bring more wet weather to the region. Some models are hanging on to hopes that we will get snow, but as of now, this looks to be more of rain event for areas south of I-40, but it will be something to be watched as we get closer to the weekend.