Weather

In what might be considered a blizzard by recent Charlotte standards, roughly a half-inch of powdery snow fell over the city and surrounding region Tuesday night.

The Charlotte area woke up Saturday to less than a half-inch of snow and ice from the region's first winter storm in three years. Forecasters warn that black ice could be a danger on some roads and sidewalks.

Snow began to fall in the Charlotte metro area shortly before 3 p.m., sparking excitement and wonder among kids and adults alike. Forecasters are expecting areas north of uptown Charlotte to see the highest snowfall amounts.

Helene made landfall in northwestern Florida Thursday night. The storm is bringing heavy rain to the Carolinas. Several school systems have closed, including Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Here’s a list that WFAE will update as closures are announced.

Temperatures are expected to plunge into the teens this weekend. For those who have no place to go to stay warm, shelters in Charlotte are extending hours and expanding capacity.

The drought conditions in North Carolina improved slightly after recent rains.

Federal climate scientists say a strengthening El Niño in the Pacific Ocean is expected to bring a warmer, wetter winter to North Carolina.

Temperatures have hit or exceeded 90 degrees for 18 of the past 25 days this month in Charlotte, according to the National Weather Service, and the average monthly temperature is about 1.5 degrees higher than normal.

On top of the cancellations, another 4,700 flights were delayed nationwide on Monday as Texas and nearby states dealt with freezing temperatures and wintry precipitation.

The scope of the storm, which has killed at least 34 across the U.S., has been nearly unprecedented, stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico.