Winter Weather Advisory Issued For Charlotte: What To Know

CHARLOTTE, NC —Get out your snow boots and bundle up, because Charlotte could get snow beginning Tuesday night.

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Charlotte and the surrounding area from 10 p.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday. Snowfall totals may only get to two-inches, but forecasters warn of snow-covered roads and limited visibility.

Crews are out pretreating roads Tuesday ahead of the storm. Here's what you need to know about conditions, traffic and clearing snow in the city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.

Who removes the snow in Charlotte?

Charlotte’s Department of Transportation, alongside North Carolina DOT, clear more than 11,000 lane miles during inclement weather. The city has 37 tandem trucks with salt spreaders and plows and a crew of 200 employees to treat the roads.

Workers will treat and plow the roads until all public roads are clear of snow and deemed safe. Treating roads begins before a storm, while plowing will happen with an accumulation of two inches or more. The City of Charlotte urges residents to avoid parking on-street and on snow emergency routes to alleviate snow removal.

Which streets are the first priority when it snows?

The City of Charlotte has a goal of clearing 90 percent of all major and minor thoroughfares within 48 hours from the end of the storm, which includes all emergency locations such as hospitals, police and fire locations; 80 percent of all residential collector streets made navigable within 48 hours, to include bus routes and schools; and 75 percent of neighborhood streets, not including cul-de-sacs, made navigable with at least one vehicle width within 72 hours from the end of the storm.

How will this affect commutes?
The Wednesday morning commute could be slower than usual with the chance of slick roads. Temperatures will only rise to a high of 31 in Charlotte Wednesday. Drivers are urged to slow down and add time to their trips if roads become hazardous.

According to the National Weather Service, "Although the amount of snow will be light, generally on the order of 1-2 inches over the mountains and the I-77 corridor, and an inch or less elsewhere, the cold temperatures may allow the snow to stick to untreated roads, resulting in numerous travel problems on untreated roads early Wednesday, including the morning rush hour.”

How can I check on the road conditions?
You can check on local road conditions on NCDOT’s website, for the Metrolina region, under the “Adverse Weather “ tab.

You can read more about NCDOT’s Severe Weather plan here.

SEE ALSO: Snow, Then 60-Degree Temperatures: Charlotte's Weekly Forecast

Image via Pixabay