Charlotte spared brunt of storm that dumped 10 inches of snow elsewhere in NC
Temperatures warmer than expected spared the Charlotte area the full brunt of a storm that dumped up to 10 inches of snow and left thousands without power in the N.C. mountains, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Saturday.
Charlotte saw just 0.2 inches of snow in the weakest of three storms to hit the metro area on consecutive weekends.
“Temperatures were a little bit warmer” than weather models originally forecast for the Charlotte region, meteorologist Ashley Pratt of the NWS office in Greer, S.C., told The Charlotte Observer Saturday morning. “Temperatures were slower to trend down to freezing.”
Snow forms at or below freezing — 32 degrees, according to the National Ice and Snow Data Center.
On Friday, the NWS forecast for Charlotte predicted up to 2 inches of snow, although NWS meteorologist Clay Chaney said at the time that an inch was more likely.
Where the most snow fell
The N.C. mountains fared far worse from the storm.
Mount Mitchell in Yancey County recorded the highest snowfall at 10 feet, Pratt said on Saturday afternoon, after snow in the mountains finally tapered off.
Mount Mitchell’s summit is the highest point east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet.
Next highest snowfalls in the state from the storm were also in the mountains, according to Pratt:
▪ 9.7 inches: Six miles southwest of Burnsville in Yancey County.
▪ 8.2 inches: Two miles north of Mars Hill in Madison County.
▪ 7 inches: Four miles northeast of Weaverville in Buncombe County.
A winter storm warning ended at noon Saturday for Yancey, Madison, Avery, Mitchell, Swain, Haywood and Graham counties, all in the mountains.
And a wind chill advisory that ended at 1 p.m. Saturday for parts of the mountains warned of wind chills of 15 degrees below zero and the risk of hypothermia.
Outages in the mountains
Most all of the power outages reported in the Carolinas by Duke Energy overnight were in the Interstate 40 corridor in the Asheville area, with 2,358 customers still without power at 8 a.m. Saturday, according to the Duke Energy outage map.
By 9:30 a.m., only a few hundred Asheville area customers remained without power, along with several hundred in Caldwell County, according to the outage map.
CLT flight cancellations
In Charlotte, 150 flights were canceled as of 4 p.m. Saturday, primarily because of the storm’s impact on the Northeast, according to the flight-tracking site FlightAware.com.
CLT airport officials advised travelers to check the status of their flights before driving to Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Charlotte weather forecast
Although sunny, Charlotte should remain chilly Saturday, with a forecast high of 36 degrees followed by an overnight low of 19, according to the NWS forecast at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Highs are predicted to improve to 47 Sunday, 54 Monday, 57 Tuesday and 62 Wednesday, the forecast shows.
Showers have a 70% chance of returning Thursday, when the high is forecast to climb even higher, to 66 degrees, according to the forecast.
Closures and delays
▪ Because of the storm, all Mecklenburg County Solid Waste Centers opened at 10 a.m. Saturday — three hours later than their normal Saturday openings.
▪ Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation closed the gates to its parks at 8 p.m. Friday, officials said. Saturday, operations and facilities opened at 9 a.m.
COVID testing sites
Most StarMed outdoor sites were closed Saturday, the health care company said.
In Charlotte, only the site at 4001 Tuckaseegee Road will be open for COVID tests and vaccinations. The hours will be limited to 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
These outdoor sites also have limited hours on Saturday:
Harrah’s Cherokee Center, Asheville — Open for testing 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
410 Four Seasons Town Centre, Greensboro — Open for vaccinations 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Indoor StarMed locations will be open normal hours on Saturday:
FreeMore Family & Urgent Care — 4001 Tuckaseegee Road
Eastland Family & Urgent Care — 5344 Central Ave.
The Antibody Treatment — 491 N. Wendover Road
COVID test kit distribution
Because of the storm, Mecklenburg County has changed the hours of its two Saturday sites for distributing free COVID at-home test kits.
County residents can visit these sites from noon to 3 p.m.: J.M. Alexander Middle School, 12010 Hambright Road in Huntersville; and the Central Piedmont Community College Harper campus, 315 W. Hebron St. in Charlotte, officials said.
Homeless shelters expand capacity
Charlotte homeless shelters will continue to maintain their expanded capacity through at least Sunday, according to a county news release issued Friday.
“Homeless outreach teams have been deployed to homeless encampments to encourage anyone living unsheltered to visit a shelter,” officials said.
Those who refuses to visit a shelter will be given blankets and coats, officials said.
For men, Roof Above opens the Lucille Giles Men’s Shelter, 3410 Statesville Ave., at 4:30 p.m.
Roof Above also will operate its day services center from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with access to restrooms and limited indoor seating. Masks are required. Outdoor seating with government-approved radiated heaters also will be available.
For women and families, the Salvation Army Center of Hope shelter at 534 Spratt St. will expand capacity by 50 beds.
This story was originally published January 29, 2022 at 10:43 AM.