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Charlotte prepares for snow & ice: 5 things to know Friday, December 7

A winter storm will bring 2-4 inches of snow to Charlotte and could dump more than a foot on the North Carolina mountains. Dan McCready withdrew his concession to Mark Harris amid fraud allegations and America honors the victims of Pearl Harbor.

Get ready, Charlotte. A winter storm will bring snow, sleet and ice to the Queen City this weekend

A winter storm is expected to bring 2-4 inches of snow to Charlotte this weekend, but the biggest threat for areas south of I-85 is going to be ice.

First Warn chief meteorologist Brad Panovich said the winter storm watch will go into effect at 1 p.m. Saturday and last until 12 p.m. Monday.

Panovich said there is heavy ice potential in the transition zone, which stretches from Greenville, S.C. to Greensboro, N.C. and covers the greater Charlotte area.

"I actually hope this is all snow. I don't think it's going to be all snow, but, man, do I pray it is. Not because I love snow, but because that would 100,000 times easier to deal with than all this ice, which would definitely cause power outages and could cripple power grids here for days and weeks."

The North Carolina mountains could see nearly two feet of snow from the winter storm

Panovich says areas from Asheville to Greensboro, including Blowing Rock, Boone and Wilkesboro, could see 14-20 inches of snow. Because the air is much colder in the mountains, the High Country won't have to worry about much of a rain/snow mix.

Along I-40, Panovich expects accumulations of 9-14 inches. NCDOT said leftover salt residue from earlier this week will help keep roads clear as crews prepare for 12-hour shifts this weekend.

Dan McCready withdrew his concession to Mark Harris in the race for North Carolina's 9th District

McCready posted a video on Twitter Thursday making the announcement.

"I didn’t serve overseas in the Marines to come home to NC and watch a criminal, bankrolled by my opponent, take away people’s very right to vote. Today I withdraw my concession and call on Mark Harris to end his silence and tell us exactly what he knew, and when," McCready said.

House leaders are threatening to throw the entire election out. Michael Bitzer, political science professor at Catawba College, told NBC Charlotte said it's a possibility.

"I feel like the momentum is pushing toward a new election to be called either by the state or the U.S. House of Representatives," said Bitzer.

Should the state prove there's fraud, the NC GOP is open to a new election in the 9th District

North Carolina GOP Executive Director Dallas Woodhouse texted a statement to the AP Thursday saying the Republicans would "fully support a new election" if the state's election board shows that absentee ballot irregularities changed the outcome of the 9th District election. However, Woodhouse also said if the results would not change, Mark Harris should be certified as the winner.

Harris defeated McCready by 905 votes in the midterms but that certification remains on hold pending the investigation into allegations of fraud and corruption.

America honors those who died at Pearl Harbor

On December 7, 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy bombed the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor. The strike was an action to keep the U.S. from interfering with Japan's planned military actions in southeast Asia.

The attack killed 2,403 Americans and wounded another 1,178 and drew the United States into World War II. Now, 78 years later, the remains of many previously unidentified sailors are returning home.

Altogether, 429 sailors and Marines on the Oklahoma were killed. Only 35 were identified in the years immediately after the attack. The Oklahoma’s casualties were second only to the USS Arizona, which lost 1,177 men.

As of earlier this month, the agency has identified 186 sailors and Marines from the Oklahoma who were previously unidentified.

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