Snow fell for hours in Charlotte on Saturday as temperatures plummeted into the 30s
Snow fell for hours in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon as temperatures plummeted into the 30s.
Flurries swirled among uptown office towers beginning about 1 p.m. but did not stick to the ground. The snow began mixing with rain about 3:30 p.m. and was forecast to be all rain by 4 p.m., with “little or no accumulation,” according to the National Weather Service.
Jake Wimberley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C., predicted the snow in an interview with The Charlotte Observer on Friday. Wimberley said at the time that the snow was not expected to stick.
The snow arrived with a wet weather system from the Midwest. Heavier snowfall was reported to the south, including in Fort Mill, S.C.
Charlotte’s temperature stood at 38 degrees at 1 p.m. Saturday and had dropped to 35 by 3 p.m.
Wimberley on Friday predicted snow could fall in Charlotte and other parts of Mecklenburg County anytime from 1 to 6 p.m. He was right on target.
On Saturday morning, the NWS office tweeted the snow.
“If you’ve been waiting on snow, today may be your day!” NWS officials tweeted. “We’ve expanded our forecast for snow accumulation, from a dusting — 1/2” in parts of Upstate SC to up to 4”+ in the high elevations of Rabun, Habersham, and Macon counties.
“Use caution roads may be slick where snow sticks!”
In a weather advisory at 1:43 p.m. Saturday, NWS officials said snow would continue to fall in the region through at least the afternoon.
“Snow rates will mostly be light, although an occasional burst of moderate snow will be possible,” the advisory said. “Snow accumulations should generally be limited to a dusting in most locations. However, isolated amounts of up to an inch will be possible, especially south of I-85.”
No impact on driving was expected, with most areas staying above freezing, meteorologists said, although “a few slippery spots could develop on elevated surfaces, such as bridges and overpasses.”
The snow capped a week of intense weather in the region.
A major line of storms Thursday left two people dead from floods and rain. That system spawned at least four tornadoes, along with hail and enough pounding rain to wash out numerous roads.
Lots more rain is expected in Charlotte and surrounding areas through the week, according to the NWS. The relentless rain is likely to flood roads across the region that flooded in Thursday’s storms, NWS officials tweeted Saturday morning.
This story was originally published February 8, 2020 at 2:02 PM.