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Charlotte’s skyline is shown in this Charlotte Observer file photo.
lturner@charlotteobserver.com
To say North Carolina is a state of weather extremes is to put it mildly.
The mountains could see up to a half-foot of snow and wind chills in the single digits this weekend, while Charlotte set a record Friday for its highest temperature ever in February, according to the National Weather Service.
Friday’s 83-degree high in the Queen City broke the 82-degree mark for February set in 2018, NWS meteorologists said.
A rainy cold front barreling into the state Saturday is forecast to return reality to Charlotte, plummeting highs by 30 degrees, according to the NWS forecast.
Throughout Sunday in the mountains, “1-3 inches of snow are likely across the counties bordering Tennessee, with isolated accumulations of 3-6 inches above 3,500 feet,” according to an NWS hazardous weather outlook bulletin.
“Additionally, strong gusty winds from the northwest are expected Sunday into Monday, with the strongest gusts likely over the highest peaks of the mountains,” forecasters wrote.
Cold weather shelters will operate Sunday in Asheville, emergency officials said. A low of 20 is expected with snow showers and “blustery” winds, the forecast showed.
Charlotte forecast
Highs in Charlotte are expected to drop from 62 on Saturday to 52 on Sunday and 44 on Monday, the forecast showed. Highs should rebound to 50 on Tuesday, 60 on Wednesday, 64 on Thursday and 62 on Friday, according to the NWS.
Charlotte has a 70% chance of rain late Saturday and early Sunday, with a 10th to a quarter-inch possibly falling, the forecast showed. Skies should gradually clear later Sunday morning.
Monday and Tuesday should be mostly sunny and Tuesday partly sunny, with rain likely on Thursday, NWS forecasters said.
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Joe Marusak
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