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Winter Storm Expected to impact parts of North Carolina Friday into Saturday. First Call snow/ice maps.

Winter Weather Update: First Call Snow and Ice Maps, along with my thoughts, confidence is high that a Winter Storm will impact North Carolina, but there remain some uncertainties. Well, it has been over 1,000 days since parts of North Carolina have seen accumulating snow and ice; that streak looks to be broken later this week for some. It’s been several years since we’ve had a significant, impactful Winter Storm in North Carolina, and this one could be notable for parts of the state.


As usual, it’s not easy to get snow in North Carolina outside of the immediate mountains; a lot of factors have to come together to make it happen. True to form, Winter Weather events in North Carolina are always a complete mess, and this storm will likely be no different.


👀 WHAT

-As I’m sure many of y’all are aware, I’m very careful about sharing information and want to keep it as accurate as possible. I don’t believe in fluff, hype, or clicks. I’m just here to help you and save lives.


-Confidence is increasing that a classic Miller A low-pressure system will move along the Gulf Coast into the southeastern United States Thursday night into Friday, bringing winter weather to parts of the state.


-The system will overspread Western North Carolina Friday morning into the afternoon and the rest of the state Friday afternoon/evening into Saturday before moving out of the state Saturday morning.


-A Winter Storm will impact North Carolina confidence is high in this, but exact amounts are still up in the air. I am releasing my first call snow/sleet map and Freezing rain map.


-I want to point out something before I dive into it, DO NOT FOCUS ON EXACT AMOUNTS. There will be travel impacts where frozen precipitation falls; I expect the most impacts for travel to be Friday evening through the overnight into Saturday morning, with improving conditions Saturday afternoon thanks to sunshine and temps rising above freezing. Refreezing is expected Saturday night and Sunday night, so some travel impacts could linger through the weekend into Monday for some not all. There is no reason to raid the grocery stores.


ACCUMULATION: (Snow/Sleet Map Image 1)


This forecast map includes sleet in the totals, too.


Dusting-1 Inch Area (Area with the highest uncertainties The Battleground)

I expect snow to fall, and then it'll switch to a mix of sleet and snow and potentially to Freezing Rain. Some accumulation is possible, but I expect hazardous travel to likely starting Friday evening.


1-3 (Dark Blue Area) 1-3 inches of snow is possible Friday afternoon into Saturday morning; some sleet could mix in as well.


3-5 (Purple) The mountains mainly above 2,500FT will see 3-5 inches of snow starting Friday and lasting into Saturday, with some NW areas likely seeing 5-8 inches in the favored locations above 3,500ft.


Confidence is high; a Winter Storm will impact North Carolina; the greatest impacts will be Friday afternoon into Saturday. There could be some scattered power outages where ice/snow build-up winds will not be too strong, but I can't rule out some of power outages.


The Bottom Line: Ground temperatures are cold; as soon as frozen precipitation starts falling, it'll stick to everything that is no treated easily. The forecast will continue to change some over the next 36 hours, I'll be watching the trends and provide updates as needed. There is no reason to panic, but be prepared for travel impacts across parts of the state Friday into the weekend, improving Sunday into Monday. Take it easy if you must travel, or better yet stay home Friday night into Saturday if you can to avoid getting into crashes. I’ll keep you in the loop with trustworthy, no-nonsense information.

I love Winter Weather forecasting. I'll keep you updated!



Forecasting winter weather in North Carolina is far from easy, there are many factors that must come together. Forecasts always have high bust potential here in NC, I’ve spent hours this afternoon pouring through data looking at the atmosphere and using some experience from past storms to make this forecast.


-Ethan

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