Charlotte weather: Rain and some snow showers later in week

Charlotte-area weather will include heavy rain and light snow in the coming days, according to the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C.

“It’s going to be a busy several days,” meteorologist Neil Dixon said.

Wednesday will start off dry, but snow flurries and light snow could arrive in the afternoon, similar to what fell Saturday, before turning to rain. The high is expected to approach 41. Highs around this time of year are usually in the low 50s.

A warm front on Thursday will bring a 30 percent chance of rain. The high will be 44.

Then there’s Friday.

An end-of-the-week snowstorm could wallop tens of millions of Americans from Washington to Boston and the Ohio Valley. Rich Otto, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center outside of Washington, said some major cities will likely see a foot or more of snow. Other meteorologists talked about 18 inches, 2 feet and more.

In the Charlotte region, the morning through early afternoon will see strong rain showers, Dixon said, possibly heavy enough to cause driving problems. North of the Interstate 40 corridor may see a mix of freezing rain, sleet and rain, before getting all rain by mid-morning.

In the Charlotte area, there will be snow showers from Friday night into Saturday morning, Dixon said, but added, “any accumulation will be quite light.”

The area’s temperatures that day, starting at 35 degrees and reaching a high of 41, and 33 degrees Saturday morning, will help the region avoid significant snowfall levels, according to Dixon. Associated Press contributed.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 7:02 AM with the headline "Charlotte weather: Rain and some snow showers later in week."