'Typical winter storm' bears down on Charlotte

Published Dec. 17, 2009 at 12:44 p.m.
The first winter storm of the season is headed for the Charlotte metro region on Friday, and it is a Carolina Classic -- a close call between rain, sleet and snow.

Forecasters have issued a winter storm watch for most of the area, including Mecklenburg County.

But as a signal of how close the rain-snow-sleet dividing line will be to Charlotte, the watch does not include Union and Anson counties in North Carolina, and Lancaster and Chesterfield counties of South Carolina.

"It's a fairly typical winter system for the Carolinas," said Bryan McAvoy, of the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C. "As of now, we expect a few inches around Charlotte, with considerably heavier amounts as you go toward the mountains."

For now, forecasters predict 1 to 2 inches in the immediate Charlotte area, with heavier amounts of up to 6 inches along the Interstate 40 corridor in Hickory and Statesville. Amounts of 2 to 4 inches are predicted for Gastonia, Shelby and Lincolnton.

The wintry precipitation is forecast to begin Friday morning, probably as snow and sleet in most areas, then mix with sleet and rain in the evening from Charlotte eastward.

The storm system responsible for this weather is in the Gulf of Mexico today, dumping heavy rain from Mississippi to Texas. It is forecast to cross northern Florida later today, then move up the Carolinas coast and intensify during the day Friday.

Sleet, snow and rain are expected to be the primary forms of precipitation from this storm. Forecasters say they do not expect much, if any, freezing rain. That means the storm's main threat would be on the roadways, rather than with power outages.

Several things about the low pressure system are concerning meteorologists.

One is the path of the system. The most recent computer-generated forecasts show the storm moving up the coast, spreading plenty of moisture into the Piedmont, foothills and mountains.

The biggest question is temperature, however.

"As is often the case with our winter storm systems, as you move closer to the coast, the precipitation will be more in the form of rain," McAvoy said.

The National Weather Service office in Columbia said it expects no accumulations south of a line across north-central Lancaster County and central Chesterfield County.

Some initial snow forecasts from this system:

Charlotte's center city: 1-2 inches.

Mint Hill: 1 inch.

Matthews, Ballantyne: 1 inch or less.

Union County, south of U.S. 74: Trace or less.

Union County, north of U.S. 74: 1 to 1.5 inches.

Anson, Richmond, Montgomery counties: None. Snow and sleet will fall at times, but no accumulations.

Cabarrus, Stanly, Rowan counties: 1-2 inches.

Northern Lancaster, York counties: 1 inch.

Southern Lancaster, Chester counties: Trace to 1/2 inch.

Gaston, Cherokee (S.C.) counties: 2 inches.

Lake Norman area, southern Iredell, Lincoln counties: 2 inches.

Iredell, Catawba, Cleveland counties: 2-4 inches.

Foothills: 3-5 inches.

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