Snow falling in Charlotte and the region. But Wednesday temps could approach 70 degrees

Snow was falling in uptown Charlotte and surrounding areas like Union County on Tuesday morning.

The region had a 50 percent chance of “wet snow” Tuesday, mostly before 9 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.

However, the wintry mix showed up hours later than expected, coming after dawn and during rush hour when temperatures were in the lower 40s. As of 9:30 a.m., it was falling thick in uptown.

The low Tuesday will be 37 degrees, so “little or no snow accumulation” is expected in the Charlotte area, say NWS forecasters.

However, up to an inch could fall “mainly in a band along and northwest of I-85,” including Lincolnton, Hickory and Statesville, NWS forecasters say.

“Some snow easily could mix in southeast of there, but is not expected to last very long,” according to a NWS forecast discussion.

The high Tuesday will be 51 degrees in Charlotte, forecasters say, and it will rise to 68 degrees Wednesday and 71 on Thursday.

The unexpected snow prediction comes just two days after temperatures reached close to 80 degrees Saturday in the region.

A series of freeze warnings and watches were issued for much of the state late Sunday, based on predictions of a high pressure system moving across the southern Appalachians. It is causing temperatures to drop up to 12 degrees below normal, said the NWS.

Frost is expected in the Charlotte region Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, forecasters say.

This story was originally published April 1, 2019 at 1:16 PM.