Forget those 70-degree days. But ‘snow showers’ no longer expected in Charlotte
UPDATE: At 4 p.m. Saturday, the NWS forecast was calling for rain, but no snow in the Charlotte area.
If snow is likely after a thunderstorm in the dead of winter, Charlotte might be in store for a dusting.
Temperatures that settled into the upper 60s this week will plummet Thursday night with “snow showers” possible by the weekend, forecasters said.
According to folklore, that’s not unheard of: “If there is thunder in winter, it will snow seven days later,” the Farmers’ Almanac says.
Pop-up thunderstorms have already thrashed Charlotte and parts of North Carolina.
Now the National Weather Service is calling for a 70 percent chance of precipitation in Charlotte on Saturday, including snow between 8 and 9 a.m. with rain to follow.
“Surface temperatures will be in the mid to low 30s in the mountains and Piedmont just as precip begins on Saturday,” forecasters said. “Most spots will stay all rain, but a couple flakes of snow mixing into light rain for a few hours in the NC Piedmont can’t be ruled out.”
Western North Carolina could have a “trickier” time of it.
Temperatures will cling to freezing in the mountains, meaning an onset of snow, sleet and freezing rain are possible in the afternoon before rain takes over Saturday night.
“Overall, any wintry impacts would be confined to the mountains and look minor and isolated (if any happen at all) at the current time, but this forecaster humbly suggests all interests keep an eye on the forecast for Saturday, as at least minor changes are likely,” the weather service says.
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 5:37 PM.
