Charlotte’s snow drought (technically) still continues. That could change Sunday night
Charlotte could see its first measurable snow for the first time in three years late Sunday or early Monday, a National Weather Service meteorologist said Tuesday.
“It would be exciting to see,” NWS forecaster Patrick Moore told The Charlotte Observer. “We’re in the midst of the longest snow drought we’ve ever seen.”
Charlotte last saw a measurable snow on Jan. 21, 2022, which followed another snow on Jan. 16 that year, Moore said.
A “measurable snow” for Charlotte means at least a tenth of an inch, he said. A Dec. 3 snow in Charlotte was not enough to break the drought, Moore said. Higher amounts fell that day to the north of Charlotte, including the Lake Norman area.
The NWS forecast at 1 p.m. Wednesday narrowed the chance of snow to between midnight and 3 a.m. Monday. And “snow showers” at that.
The chance stood at 50% .
Moore said he thinks freezing rain is more likely, although it was too early in the week to predict what will fall in the region.
A cold air mass is forecast to move into the area beginning Friday, which boosts the chances of snow by late Sunday or early Monday, he said.
“We’re going to have the cold air in place, and probably precipitation Sunday night and Monday,” Moore said. “The question is in what form will it fall. It’s really up in the air right now.”
The chance of snow should grow later next week as more cold air moves into the region, by the Jan. 11-12 weekend, he said.
Charlotte forecast
After a sunny New Year’s Day in Charlotte and an expected high of 52, sunshine should remain though Sunday, the forecast showed.
The NWS predicted a high of 50 on Thursday and Friday, 41 on Saturday, 45 on Sunday, 46 on Monday and 42 on Tuesday.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
This story was originally published December 31, 2024 at 3:53 PM.