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The return of winter will last one more night, and it could be a record-setter.
Forecasters predict a morning low of 14 degrees in Charlotte, a reading that would eclipse the current mark for March 4.
But the mass of unseasonably cold air parked across the Southeast is on the way out.
Meteorologists say temperatures Wednesday afternoon will climb into the upper 40s, and a high of 60 degrees is forecast Thursday in Charlotte. Then, they add, Charlotte-area residents will enjoy highs of 70 degrees or warmer from Saturday into early next week.
Temperatures today in the western Carolinas barely climbed above freezing again. The unofficial high temperature today was 35 degrees -- the same as Monday. That reading is 25 degrees below normal for the date.
The record low for Wednesday morning in Charlotte is 15 degrees.
The National Weather Service has not issued any advisories or warnings for black ice Wednesday morning, although patches of ice are likely to develop in Cleveland, Gaston and Lincoln counties, where the heaviest snow fell Sunday night and Monday. An advisory for black ice was issued for this morning, but no major problems were reported with ice on area roadways.
Much of the snow melted today in the immediate Charlotte area, but authorities warn that with temperatures tumbling into the low to mid teens again tonight, a few icy spots are likely in the morning.
After Wednesday morning, the temperature trend will be on the way up. A cold high pressure system over the eastern United States is expected to moderate, and temperatures gradually will climb over the next three days.
The big remaining problem in the Charlotte metro region is the power outage situation, with tens of thousands of customers still without electricity this evening.
As of 5 p.m., about 44,000 Duke Energy customers were without power. That is down considerably from 67,000 outages this morning, and from the 180,000 Duke Energy outages at the height of Sunday night's storm. The biggest problems are in the area where the largest amount of the heavy, wet snow fell -- in a band from Gaffney, S.C., northeastward to Lincolnton.
Those outages include 5,400 in Cleveland County; 3,800 in Gaston County; and 3,200 in Lincoln County. Duke Energy officials say they expect to have power restored to all those customers by late Wednesday. There also are about 1,600 outages in Rowan County, down considerably from more than 5,000 this morning. All Rowan County power is expected to be back on by late tonight.
