Icy Christmas morning on the way in the mountains, foothills, and extreme northwest Piedmont

A major storm system continues to cause anything from blizzard conditions in the Plains to the western Great Lakes to tornadic activity in the southern Plains and Lower Mississippi Valley.

Around the Carolinas, a quiet Christmas Eve is unfolding with highs in the mid to upper 40s for most with some increasing clouds.

Rain will spread into the region later tonight, and in the mountains, foothills, and extreme northwest Piedmont, temperatures will drop to at or below freezing, meaning freezing rain will occur. This could be a significant ice event for the mountains and the northern foothills, but I think for much of the northwest Piedmont, the temperature should relatively quickly warm above freezing, ending the icing potential there. However, a different story in the foothills and mountains, and some significant icing is possible by Christmas morning.

Christmas Day will feature rain around the region, and some storms are even possible from the southern Piedmont through the coastal plain.

The weekend will be quiet and cool, and then another shot of cold air arrives by later Sunday and Monday.

Next week still looks interesting. I still think there is a potential wintry-weather making system on the table late Wednesday or Thursday, and the pattern remains very active through the first week to ten days of January.

I wish you and yours the warmest and merriest of Christmases. God bless.....