Madison Park

A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for our area through Monday.

The following counties are under the warning until 12 a.m. Monday: Alexander, Iredell, Catawba, Rowan, Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, York.

The following counties are under the warning until 8 a.m. Monday: Avery, Caldwell, Burke.

Expected snow accumulations:

• Northwest Piedmont: 6 to 8 inches
• Along the I-85 corridor: 4 to 6 inches
• South of I-85: 2 to 4 inches

Ice accumulations could be around 3/10 of an inch and the storm will likely cause power outages and very dangerous road conditions.

WINTER STORM TIMING AND CONDITIONS:

• All eyes are focused on what will arrive this weekend as Severe Weather Center 9 tracks the approaching wintry weather.
• Winter Storm Watches are in place area-wide and will be upgraded to warnings by Friday night or early Saturday.
• Our short-term forecast will be partly cloudy on Friday with highs in the mid-50s.
• Quiet conditions remain in place today and Saturday before our winter storm arrives late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.
• The big event starts after midnight and stays with us all day long Sunday.
• It may start out with some snow but will likely quickly change to a wintry mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain for most of the day around Charlotte.
• The longer it takes to make that transition, the more snow we will see in Charlotte (currently looking at 2-3 inches but that could go up).
• At the moment, any pure snow accumulations look to be confined to the mountains (A foot or more in some spots) and adjacent foothills (6 inches or more), with ice accumulations elsewhere.
• Confidence for sleet and freezing rain continues to grow with amounts that could be quite high.
• A half an inch of ice or more would lead to some big problems with travel and power outages and that is possible with this storm.
• The winter weather will all wrap up by Sunday night, but issues linger into Monday morning, with temps dropping into the 20s.
• As the winds kick up, downed trees and powerlines may also become an issue.