Ed Vallee, head meteorologist at Vallee Weather Consulting, is now warning that a “severe winter storm” is about to hit parts of North Carolina this weekend.

His forecast on Thursday, correctly pointed out that Winter Storm Diego was going to be a “historic storm in parts of NC and VA this weekend. European ensemble data is suggesting a wide area of 12″+ of snow, which is more than the seasonal normal snowfall in many areas outside of the mountains.”

While much of his forecast has not changed, he is indicating that western parts of the state could get 8 to 16 inches as the system is currently moving over south Texas towards the southeast as it collides with cold air.

“As we have been discussing in our going forecast, a severe winter storm will impact the western Carolinas and parts of Southwest Virginia this weekend. A small shift southward has removed areas in the Shenandoah (sp?) Valley of Virginia from heaviest accumulations, including the city of Roanoke, VA. However, we are still expecting some snowfall accumulation in this region. The hardest hit areas will likely be along the 1-77 corridor north of Charlotte, NC into southwestern Virginia, where 8-16” of snow is expected to fall. Further south and east, including major cities of Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, and Winston Salem, NC, snow is expected to evolve into a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain, potentially limiting snowfall accumulations. However, ice will be just as, if not more, impactful in these areas typically not equipped with proper equipment to remove such large amounts of snow and ice. This system will promote tough to at times impossible travel conditions along the major interstates of I-77, I-85, I-81, and I-40 Saturday night through Monday,” said Vallee.

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