Major Winter Storm Atlanta To Charlotte

Click to enlarge the map. Keep in mind, the colored counties aren't the only ones to receive snow, sleet and freezing rain, but all the factors I'm seeing now point to this area as being the hardest hit.
Confidence continues to build on the basic setup for something we haven't seen in several years: A Major snowstorm followed by Major Icestorm.
Cold, dry arctic high pressure is now entrenched in our area and will go nowhere fast. Meanwhile radar shows moisture surging right for us. There are many factors and nuances that could alter the outcome of this sytem, but any changes still point to the fact that this will be a memorable Winter storm area-wide. And NO, we don't go over to rain. Period.

Confluence over New England continues to build an arctic high and push it down the spine of the Appalachians. The fact it goes from 1024 to 1028mb tells me this will be very sleety, more so than the December 2005 crippling freezing rain storm. Right now here's how I expect it to play out...
Snow develops from about the northern suburbs of Atlanta and overspreads the western Carolinas tonight before midnight. The snow will accumulate rapidly along the I-85 corridor, especially in northern Georgia and Upstate SC. By morning, there will be several inches in this area, but the warming air aloft will gradually change these areas to sleet and eventually freezing rain. Here's the kicker: There's no great surge of warm air aloft, which is vastly different from most of our winter storms. Therefore, I'm expecting the snow to be the predominant type of precipitation from Asheville to Morganton and Boone...basically along and north of I-40, especially western areas of NC. The toughest part of the forecast is drawing exactly where the sleet gives way to freezing rain, and it's going to be impossible to nail that down. Just one degree error in the atmospheric profilings will make a big difference in who gets the snow, sleet, freezing rain. For most of us , we get it all....just in different amounts.
The temperatures will drop into the middle 20's for Cleveland and Rutherford County after the snow starts. This area, and most of Highway 74 corridor will mix with sleet and completely change to sleet and freezing rain around daybreak. Several inches of snow likley before the changeover. Then, ice will be a major factor on top of the snow. The vast majority of the storm occurs when our temps will be middle to upper 20's, and we'll slowly approach 30 by around noon, when the precip is ending.
I expect a wide range of conditions across the western Carolinas and northeast Georgia for this storm...Heavy snows, heavy sleet, and dangerous accumulations of freezing rain.
I'll wait to talk about the next potential Winter storm Saturday once this one is out of the way...It looks extremely cold this weekend. Drive safe!


THE FORECAST FOR CLEVELAND AND RUTHERFORD COUNTY...
Tonight...Snow arriving after dark. Light to moderate snow overnight with accumulations around 1" to 4" possible by daybreak. Temperatures will drop into the middle and upper 20's once the snow starts. Then temps holding steady.
Thursday...Snow changing to sleet and freezing rain. Heavy ice accumulation possible. Temperatures slowly climbing toward freezing around noon. Precip ends as drizzle midday.