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Overnight Snow Could Dump Up To 10 Inches

Todd Sumlin
/
Charlotte Observer

Forecasters with the National Weather Serviceare now calling for 8 to 10 inches of snow in the Charlotte area, and 10 to 14 inches from Monroe eastward.

The wintry blast that forecasters say will again dump snow on the Charlotte area is expected to start as light rain Wednesday at about 5 p.m., meteorologist Neil Dixon said.

Wet snow will enter the mix about 30 to 45 minutes after the rain starts, then turn to all snow by about 7 p.m. as temperatures fall to about 31 degrees

Snow will fall rapidly between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., and it will continue snowing until around sunrise, Dixon said.

Local authorities advised people to stay off the roads as much as possible during the storm.

Areas from Lake Norman north should see 6 to 8 inches of snow. Mecklenburg County should see 8 to 10 inches, Dixon said. York County, S.C., is in line for 7 to 9 inches, and counties west of Charlotte are expected to get 6 to 8 inches.

Thursday’s temperatures will only reach the mid-30s. “What does melt will refreeze as black ice Thursday night,” Dixon said, as temperatures drop to the upper 20s.

Friday will be partly sunny with highs in the low 40s that will allow for partial melting.

Wednesday work

Crews with the N.C. Department of Transportation and Charlotte DOT have been pre-treating the roads ahead of the storm. Putting brine down helps prevent ice and snow from bonding to the pavement, N.C. DOT spokeswoman Jordan-Ashley Walker said.

After the snow ends, no brining is done, it is strictly a plowing operation, Walker said. Plowing will start while it is still snowing, but exactly when remains unclear.

“As soon as we see roads are getting accumulation on them,, well go out there,” Walker said.

At the Charlotte DOT, which also did brining, plows will come out to hit the main roads, hospital entrances, emergency sites and collector streets, spokeswoman Doreen Szymanski said.

CDOT has 32 trucks, 64 crew members and support staff to deal with the snow, and N.C. DOT will have 70 contract trucks and 34 N.C. DOT trucks in Mecklenburg County alone.

In Anson, Cabarrus, Mecklenburg, Stanly and Union counties, N.C. DOT will have more than 90 DOT workers and about 70 contractors working.

The Charlotte Area Transit System will run bus service for as long as possible. Lynx light rail has placed staff on 12-hour shifts. Transit riders should visit the CATS website at www.ridetransit.org for updates and schedule changes.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport employees were working to defrost aircraft and prepare taxiways, runways, ramp areas, airport roadways, bridges, overpasses and parking areas for possible bad weather, said Lee Davis, airport spokeswoman. Numerous flights had been canceled throughout the day.

Local officials reminded people to open cabinet doors under their sinks to let warm air through to prevent freezing pipes.

About 1 1/2 inch of snow fell on the area Tuesday, prompting Union, Cabarrus, Rowan and Iredell-Statesville Schools to close for the day.