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Brrrr! Cold Wave Ushering In New Year

Mark Rumsey / WFAE

Dressing in layers and other cold-weather protections are in order the next several days, as a cold wave gets a grip on the Charlotte region. Highs mostly in the 30s and lows in the teens are expected through the week.

“We’re actually not talking about record lows, or record low high temperatures,” says meteorologist Lauren Carroll with the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg.  "We are talking about temperatures that are significantly below average," Carroll adds. 

In fact, it will be cold enough to meet the Weather Service’s official definition of a ‘cold wave.’  That’s when average daily temperatures are 12 degrees or more below normal for 48 hours or longer. 

Wind is not expected to be a major problem this week in the Charlotte area. But even light winds push the wind chill or ‘feel like’ reading downward.  Carroll says wind chills in the single digits are possible around Charlotte early Tuesday morning.

The Weather Service says we shouldn’t have to worry about any snow, freezing rain, or other precipitation along with the current cold snap. And, forecasters expect more- seasonal temperatures to return to the Charlotte area next week. 

Check the latest National Weather Service information on cold wave in western Carolinas and northeast Georgia.

Mark Rumsey grew up in Kansas and got his first radio job at age 17 in the town of Abilene, where he announced easy-listening music played from vinyl record albums.