Parts of Charlotte saw snow flurries despite near-40-degree temperatures. Meteorologist Brad Panovich explains how it happened.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Parts of Charlotte experienced an unusual weather phenomenon Tuesday when snow fell despite temperatures hovering near 40 degrees, according to WCNC Weather Impact chief meteorologist Brad Panovich.
Residents in Steele Creek, Lake Wylie and Pineville reported snow flurries Tuesday afternoon in what meteorologists call seeder-feeder snow, a rare occurrence that combined natural atmospheric conditions with steam from nearby power plants.
The Catawba Nuclear Station, south of Charlotte and the McGuire Nuclear Station on Lake Norman released plumes of water vapor that provided condensation nuclei, tiny water droplets necessary for snow formation. When these droplets mixed with supercooled water in low-level clouds passing overhead, snow began to fall in localized areas.
“This is not nuclear plume, this is just steam. It’s water vapor,” Panovich said, noting that residents on the south side of Charlotte are familiar with the steam plumes from the power plants.
The phenomenon occurs naturally when high and low clouds interact, but in this case, the moisture came from below rather than above. The atmospheric conditions were ripe for the process, with supercooled water present in the cloud deck that moved over the steam plumes.
Similar snow flurries were reported in Marion on Tuesday, and Panovich said the conditions likely affected other areas near industrial sites across the Carolinas.
“Any paper plants, steam mills, anything with a big plume of exhaust is gonna cause that,” Panovich explained.
The seeder-feeder process requires specific atmospheric conditions to occur, making Tuesday’s snow flurries a relatively rare event for the Charlotte region, particularly in southwestern Mecklenburg County.
Despite the unusual sight, the snow was light and brief, occurring only in areas directly affected by the steam plumes from the power plants.