Triangle's first major snowstorm in years expected this weekend
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It's been a long time since some parts of North Carolina have had snow as heavy as what's forecast this weekend. Photo: North Carolina Climate Office via NWS Raleigh
Forecasters believe central North Carolina will get more snow this weekend than it has in years.
Why it matters: The National Weather Service in Raleigh says most models are calling for 5 to 10 inches of snowfall — which in some places will coat ice stubbornly lingering from last weekend's winter storm.
The latest: A winter storm watch is in effect for nearly all of North Carolina.
- In the Triangle, snow is forecast to begin late Friday night. Most is expected to fall Saturday, and the storm will wind down around daybreak Sunday, according to NWS meteorologists.
- Gusty winds will accompany the storm, especially Saturday, forecasters say. That elevates the risk for power outages.
- Dangerously cold overnight lows — in the single digits or teens — are called for Sunday through early next week.
What they're saying: It'll be a "fluffy snow," NWS Raleigh meteorologist Nick Petro said in briefings Thursday.
- Snow totals will likely vary widely around the forecast area because multiple narrow bands of snow are expected, not a uniform precipitation dump, Petro says.
- He jokes that "somewhere in central North Carolina, there's going to be a lot of disappointed kids."
Zoom out: Weather models predict the storm will blanket parts of Virginia and South Carolina as well.
- Areas east of Interstate 95 are forecast to get more snow than the Triangle, perhaps over 1 foot, due to a low-pressure system moving in from the coast, Petro says.
- Like with tropical weather, a storm surge is expected to accompany the snow in the Outer Banks, Petro says. "It's going to be just brutal out there."
Threat level: There's little concern about freezing rain, Petro says, since air temperatures are expected to remain far below freezing.
- The potential for freezing rain is what fueled worries ahead of last weekend's ice storm, which has kept kids out of school most of this week.
- But because of the frozen ground, "the first flake that falls will stick," Petro says.
What's next: Meteorologists say the snowfall may stick around a while, with extreme cold forecast into early next week.
We'll keep this developing story updated as the forecast evolves.