Major Winter Storm Blankets NC with Snow

A major winter storm blew into North Carolina overnight and left a heavy covering of snow with more precipitation anticipated early on Sunday.

The snow gave the Charlotte area its first white Christmas in 63 years to the delight of many youngsters, even while it made roads treacherous for travelers and disrupted travels plans for millions along the east coast.

The NC governor's office issued a state of emergency for the area. The event began as rain on Friday but rapidly switched over to snow which blanketed the entire state. The winter storm cause disruptions in travel plans all along the eastern seaboard.

According to the National Weather Service, as of this morning Charlotte had 3 inches of snow on the ground while the Carolina foothills has 7-9 inches and the Mountains have about a foot of snow.

Temperatures are expected to hover near freezing for the next several hours and may drop around sunrise. Charlotte should see temperatures above freezing around by noon Sunday.

The weather forecast calls for freezing temperatures to return Sunday night into Monday morning, possibly causing additional hazardous road conditions for the Monday morning commute.