Black ice threat looms after heavy rains, high winds knock out power in Charlotte area
A winter storm system that crossed the Carolinas on Monday brought dangerous winds and heavy rains to the Charlotte area, knocking out power to thousands of residents in the region.
Black ice could affect the Tuesday morning commute as lows were expected to reach the 20s overnight, and possibly freeze any water on area roads. Tuesday’s forecast calls for sunny skies but a high of just 44, according to the National Weather Service.
“A lot of it will come down to just how quickly roads dry up later on this morning, and especially in the afternoon and evening with the storm departing the region,” Robbie Munroe, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s office in Greer, S.C., told the Observer.
Forecasters had expected north winds of 10 to 20 mph, “with gusts up to 55.”
Effects of the storm
The peak wind gusts at Charlotte Douglas International Airport reached 41 knots, or about 47 mph, NWS meteorologist Chris Horne said. Asheville had 59-mph winds, he said.
About 1.25 inches of rain fell in southeast Charlotte, about 1.8 inches at the airport and 1.9 inches in a few spots in north Charlotte, Horne said.
The storm also left more than 140,000 Duke Energy customers without power as of 12:15 p.m., according to the Charlotte utility’s outage map. In Mecklenburg County, more than 20,000 Duke customers had no power at one point.
By 5 p.m., about 3,000 Charlotte customers still had no electricity.
There were 15 crashes in Mecklenburg County as of Monday morning, North Carolina State Highway Patrol spokesman Christopher Knox said.
From 4 a.m. until 10:15 a.m., 67 accidents were either reported and closed out, being assisted on or waiting for an officer dispatch, Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Justin Davies said. Some of the calls could be duplicates, he said.
Students at Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are scheduled to return from the holiday break on Tuesday. Teachers had a workday on Monday.
If it appears that weather will have an adverse impact on the district’s ability to operate safely, officials will communicate the resulting decision as soon as possible, CMS spokeswoman Vicki Grooms said.
StarMed said its COVID-19 testing site locations at CMS sites and at South Boulevard would remain closed on Monday, the Charlotte-based medical center said in tweets. Other sites would open later than scheduled.
Charlotte weather forecast
A winter storm warning for heavy snow has been issued for the North Carolina mountains, where 2 to 4 inches of snow could fall and wind gusts could reach 60 mph.
The foothills could get an inch of snow.
Just before 10 a.m., social media showed some reports of snowflakes in areas north of Charlotte, but none of it was expected to accumulate.
Charlotte should see drier weather throughout the week, as Wednesday is supposed to be partly sunny with a high near 53 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
Thursday should be partly sunny with a high near 54 degrees, but there’s a 30% chance for rain in the late afternoon, the forecast said. Friday and Saturday are both expected to be sunny but colder, with highs of 42 and 44 degrees.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 5:49 AM.
