Weather Extra: 1-2 inches ❄ tonight, slippery roads tomorrow
Look for rain to change to snow around 10-11 p.m. tonight; snowfall will end before dawn; some areas could see more accumulation and thunder; cold and windy Saturday
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Charlotte getting small piece of major East Coast blizzard — at least we’re not in Massachusetts (up to 30” forecast)
by Steve Lyttle
A small area of low pressure developed earlier today off the east coast of Florida. It’s the start of what will be a monster storm this weekend up the East Coast, and the Charlotte area is lined up to get a small dose of what they’ll experience in places like New York City and Boston.
A weak disturbance will glide across the Carolinas tonight, accompanying a surge of arctic air, and that will drop snowfall for a few hours across much of the state. Last week, around 1.5 to 2 inches of snow fell across much of Mecklenburg County. This time, we’re looking at 1-2 inches again, but it’ll be slightly different this time around. There will be a few convective areas developing tonight (somewhat like summer thunderstorms), and a few spots might hear some thunder during the event.
It’s really difficult to pin down exactly where these convective elements will set up, but anyone under one of those could get an extra inch (or maybe 2) of snow. The safe bet, however, is to figure on 1 inch.
It will start as rain this evening, then change to snow by 10 or 11 p.m. as the really cold air pours in. The snow should end by 4 or 5 a.m. With temperatures dropping into the 20s, you can expect slippery roads Saturday morning. I’d try to avoid travel until 11 a.m. or noon Saturday, because it’ll take that long for the temperature to creep near freezing.
Saturday will be brutal — cold and windy. But it’ll be a lot worse to our north. A Blizzard Warning is in effect for Boston, which means there’ll be a combination of snow and strong winds. Most flights in and out of Boston are already canceled for Saturday, and you can figure on much the same for New York City and Hartford. Snowfall could approach 30 inches in eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and maybe Connecticut. To add insult to injury, heavy rain is possible in those same areas later next week.
Here's our forecast:
Friday: Increasing cloudiness, with a few showers possible after 4 or 5 p.m. High of 49.
Friday night: Cloudy and turning colder. Rain showers will change to a steady light snow by 11 p.m. and continue for a few hours. Snow could accumulate 1-2 inches across Charlotte and surrounding areas. Low around 25 by daybreak.
Saturday: Ugh. Sunny and cold, with a blustery northwest wind gusting to nearly 30 mph at times. High around 35. Wind chills will be in the teens part of the day.
Saturday night: Clear and quite cold. Low of 17.
Sunday: Sunny and cold, with a high of 41. There will be a chilly northwest breeze, sometimes gusting to 40 mph.
Sunday night: Clear. Low of 27.
Monday: Sunny and milder. High of 52.
Tuesday: Sunny. High near 55.
Wednesday: Increasing cloudiness, with a few showers arriving by evening. High of 57.
Thursday: Cloudy and mild, with off-and-on showers. High of 62.
Source: National Weather Service
Steve Lyttle is a longtime Charlotte-area weather writer with a passion for meteorology and delivering smart, insightful updates that aim to inform and educate. Follow his “Weather With Steve” Facebook page for daily updates on Charlotte weather.
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