The infamous Snow, Sleet and Rain winter mix we're famous for is coming

From the "Oh, Joy!" Department:

The first winter storm of the season is headed for the region on Friday, and it is a Carolina Classic -- a close call between rain, sleet and snow.

Forecasters have issued a winter storm watch for most of the area, including Mecklenburg County.

But as a signal of how close the rain-snow-sleet dividing line will be to the area, the watch does not include Union and Anson counties in North Carolina, and Lancaster and Chesterfield counties of South Carolina.

For now, forecasters predict 1 to 2 inches in the immediate area, with heavier amounts of up to 6 inches along the Interstate 40 corridor in Hickory and Statesville. Amounts of 2 to 4 inches are predicted for Gastonia, Shelby and Lincolnton.

The wintry precipitation is forecast to begin Friday morning, probably as snow and sleet in most areas, then mix with sleet and rain in the evening from Charlotte eastward.

The storm system responsible for this weather is in the Gulf of Mexico today, dumping heavy rain from Mississippi to Texas. It is forecast to cross northern Florida later today, then move up the Carolinas coast and intensify during the day Friday.