Ice Threat for the Carolinas Wednesday

As a major winter storm eyes the Northeast on Wednesday, we will not get much in the way of snow down here, if any, but rather mostly rain and some freezing rain. This storm is not expected to be a big deal for much of SC and NC, however it could start off with some icing in western locations including the foothills and mountains. Any frozen precip will likely start out as freezing rain and sleet, but then will likely transition to all rain by mid-day.

However, there could be some prolonged icing in far northern and western locations, including northwest NC into western and central Virginia. These folks should plan for potential widespread power outages.

The latest high-resolution NAM model has significant ice amounts in western NC and VA. Most of this is expected to become all rain later in the day Wednesday. However, northwestern NC and western VA are the danger zones and folks should consider ice storm conditions on Wednesday and perhaps Thursday.

The area of low pressure that will move up the coast to create an epic pre-Christmas snowstorm will first move into our area during the early morning hours on Wednesday, and is what will cause our rain and icing. The darkest purple shading below is where ice storm conditions will be possible, and in the lighter purple we are expecting a transition to mainly rain. For everyone else, it will not be cold enough for snow or ice. We live in the South, so this is expected!

Regardless, conditions can change rapidly so EVERYONE across the coverage area should use extreme caution in case your area actually ices up. These types of storms are not certain, and folks should use caution if they plan on heading out on Wednesday, and may want to consider staying off the roads.

Stay tuned for updates during this storm as needed.

Author: Michael Griffith

I have had a passion for the weather since a very young age and am a degreed meteorologist. I have a Bachelor of Science from Penn State University and a Master's from Plymouth State University. If you ever see me out and about in the Charlotte, NC area, be sure to say hi!