Winter coats, hats and scarves were hauled out of closets and put to use Tuesday across the Carolinas, as cold air and gusty northwest winds brought a real taste of winter to the region.

While crews worked in the North Carolina mountains to clear snow and ice from the roads, people in the Piedmont bundled up and dealt with temperatures that barely climbed above freezing in the early afternoon hours. Northwest winds gusted to near 30 mph, sending the wind chill into the lower 20s.

Forecasters say temperatures could drop into the middle and upper teens by daybreak Wednesday, before a warming trend begins.

"Too cold! I'm not used to this," a man, wearing a ski cap yelled to nobody in particular as he finished filling his gas tank at a convenience store on East Independence Boulevard at Matthews-Mint Hill Road in Matthews.

With the wind blowing the hood from his sweatshirt off his head, the man added, "I liked last weekend better."

The Carolinas, along with much of the eastern United States, have enjoyed balmy conditions so far this winter. The average temperature in December was more than 4 degrees above annual norms. Temperatures were in the lower 60s in much of the Carolinas on Sunday and Monday.

That ended Monday night, when a cold front blasted into the Charlotte region. Snow showers, fueled by the same northwest flow of unstable air that brought heavy snow squalls to the shores of the Great Lakes, dumped several inches of snow in the N.C. mountains. Schools were closed in Ashe, Avery, Mitchell and Yancey counties, and there were delayed openings in other counties.

Police and the N.C. Highway Patrol reported dozens of wrecks in the high country. Ashe County had three collisions within an hour Monday evening after the snow started.

National Weather Service forecasters said the snow will be ending Tuesday afternoon in the mountains, but the cold air will remain for another 24 hours. A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect above 3,500 feet for the rest of today, with wind chill readings expected to be below zero.

The warm-up begins Wednesday afternoon, with temperatures recovering to the upper 40s. By Friday, our highs will be nearing 60 degrees. Long-range forecasts indicate the weather will remain mild next week, but there are hints of a prolonged cold spell affecting the central and eastern United States from mid-January into early February.

Here are some snowfall and road reports from the mountains, as of early Tuesday afternoon:

Ashe: 4 inches above 3,500 feet, including the town of Newland; roads slippery; schools closed. Motorists advised to use caution and expect icing Tuesday night.

Avery: 1-4 inches of snow, with 1 1/2 to 2 inches in Linville and at Beach Mountain; roads ice-covered.

Buncombe: Asheville reporting a half-inch of snow; some icy spots on secondary roads in the Mars Hill area.

Burke: Schools on a two-hour delayed opening; about a half-inch of snow near Jonas Ridge, in the northern part of the county; roads mostly in good shape, though.

Caldwell: A trace of snow fell in Lenoir; roads mostly in good shape.

Haywood: In this county, southwest of Asheville, about 4 inches was reported in Waynesville. Roads are very slippery.

McDowell: Trace of snow, but roads are in good shape.

Mitchell: About 4 inches of snow in Bakersville; schools closed; roads slippery across the county.

Rutherford: About a half-inch of snow reported near Lake Lure; secondary roads slippery in the northern part of the county.

Watauga: 1-4 inches of snow, with about 1 inch in Boone; Caldwell Community College branch cancels daytime classes; Watauga County Schools and Appalachian State University are still on winter break.

Wilkes: Snow flurries fell at times Tuesday, but roads are OK.

Yancey: About 4 inches of snow fell near Mount Mitchell, with 2 inches in Burnsville; roads are slippery across much of the county.