Near-record cold, and mountain snow
Charlotte Observer Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2008 By Steve Lyttle
charlotteobserver.com
The coldest air of the season, with temperatures at mid-January levels, has blanketed the Carolinas. Near-record daytime temperatures are expected today in Charlotte, and snow is falling in the mountains. A freeze warning is in effect for much of the Charlotte area, and forecasters say cold temperatures Wednesday and Thursday mornings will end the growing season in the region.
The National Weather Service is reporting accumulations of snow at a number of sites this morning, with totals of up to 2 inches in several places.
The cold snap will relent in time for Halloween on Friday, but chilly air will return again later in the weekend.
After morning lows slightly above freezing this morning in the Charlotte metro region, not much improvement is expected during the day.
Forecasters expect today's high temperature in Charlotte to reach 51 degrees. That is near the record for the coldest high temperature for the date -- 49 degrees, set in 1976. It also is about 17 degrees below normal for this time of year. With the northwest wind, the wind chill readings will be in the 20s and 30s during the day.
But it's even worse in the mountains, where temperatures are in the upper 20s and 30s, and snow is falling. Unstable cold air being driven into the Southeast from the Great Lakes is helping trigger the snow showers, which are expected to continue into the afternoon.
School systems opened late this morning in Watauga, Yancey, Haywood, Avery, Madison and Mitchell counties. The National Weather Service said that at 8 a.m., a number of sites had reported snow on the ground.
Some accumulations:
Avery County
Banner Elk: 1 inch
Beech Mountain: 1 inch
Flat Springs: 0.9 inch
Buncombe County
Asheville: 1/2 inch (4 miles north-northeast of downtown)
Haywood County
Canton: 2 inches
Lake Junaluska: 0.2 inch
Madison County
Mars Hill: 2 inches (at 3,400 feet elevation)
Mitchell County
Bakersville: 1.6 inches
Yancey County
Burnsville: 1.6 inches (6.5 miles south of the town's center)
Mount Mitchell: 2 inches
Snow isn't expected here in the Piedmont, as the mountains will wring out the moisture from the atmosphere. But a northwest wind, combined with cold air, will make for a winter-like day.
A hard freeze is forecast tonight, with temperatures falling into the upper 20s across most of the Charlotte metro region by Wednesday morning.
Highs are forecast to rebound to near 70 degrees by Friday and Saturday, but another cold front will cross the area Saturday night, cutting 10 degrees from Sunday's high readings.
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