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Forecast shows 6-12 inches of snow in Charlotte

CHARLOTTE, N.C. —

We have updated our weather story, click here for Tuesday's update.

The winter storm headed to the Charlotte area could bring more snow than the city has seen in nearly 10 years.

Severe Weather Center 9 Chief Meteorologist Steve Udelson said the storm is a "long-event" storm.

Part one of the storm brought some light rain to Charlotte Monday afternoon and some light snow fell north along the Interstate 40 corridor. Snow fell in Blowing Rock Monday afternoon.

Temperatures will drop Monday night across the area.

FORECASTED TIMELINE (as of Tuesday 5 a.m.):
Tuesday a.m.:  Light snow likely I-85 and south
Tuesday p.m.: Dry in afternoon/night
Wednesday a.m.: Snow to fall at daybreak - up to an inch per hour. Colder temperatures means more snow less ice. Forecasting 4 to 6 inches south of Charlotte, 6 to 12 inches in Charlotte
Thursday afternoon: Snow to come to an end 

Snow will remain light Tuesday with little accumulation near Interstate 85 and south.

Stay with wsoctv.com for continuing weather updates and watch Channel 9 for instant breaking details on Eyewitness News Daybreak.

Part two of the storm will bring snow accumulations mid-morning on Wednesday.

The big event gets going Wednesday morning and once it starts it won’t stop until mid-to-late Thursday morning.

As far as storm totals by Thursday morning, forecasts show between 4 to 6 inches south of Charlotte and 6 and 12 inches in Charlotte.

There are still at least two forecast models that show closer to a foot of snow in Charlotte by Thursday morning.

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Mayor Cannon on impending storm

Charlotte Mayor Patrick Cannon said the city is preparing well for the snow storm, but he is warning everyone to be careful.

"I will caution you as mayor that you don’t need to be out in those conditions in as much as you can remain in a place, particularly home where you can be safe,” Cannon said.

Cannon said DOT crews have been working to prepare the roadways.

He said they are not waiting to the last minute to act, but want to make sure the city is well prepared.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will dismiss two hours early Tuesday.  Union County officials said schools will dismiss three hours early. Read more on the early dismissal here.

Some schools are already delayed for Tuesday morning. See all delays or closings.

Duke Energy officials keeping close eye on outages

Duke Energy officials are keeping a close eye on the winter weather headed to the Charlotte area this week.

During the last winter storm, there were thousands of outages and this time it could be worse. 

Read more on how they are staying prepared here.

CDOT, NCDOT prepared for major winter storm

Charlotte and North Carolina's Department of Transportation officials said they are ready for what figures to be a major winter storm in the Charlotte area.

Click here to read more on their efforts.

It seemed after work Monday night, people flocked to grocery stores to stock up ahead of the snow.

It's important to remember that unlike the last snow in January, this snow is expected to last for a few days, so people want to be ready.

Read more about people stocking up before the storm by clicking here.

City Council concerned with possible shortage of plane de-icing fluid

City Manager Ron Carlee said the city is doing fine on its stockpile of salt for now, but said de-icing planes could soon be a problem.

Channel 9 is keeping an eye on Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. Twenty-four flights were delayed Monday night, but there were no cancellations. Read more on this story.

Union Co. officials preparing for possible ice, power outages

North Carolina Department of Transportation officials and Union County officials are preparing for the possibility of ice and power outages ahead of the winter storm.

On Monday, 34 salt and plow trucks were busy prepping at the NCDOT yard in Monroe after laying down brine on county roads earlier in the day.

Read more here.

Road crews treat I-40 in Burke Co. ahead of storm

Road crews in Burke County were out first thing Monday morning trying to keep Interstate 40 safe from the approaching storm.  
 
By 11 a.m., the Department of Transportation had sprayed brine on much of the interstate and on all of the overpasses near Morganton.   Read more here.


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