Live cams show snow machine blizzard in NC mountains as freezing temperatures arrive

It will fall to 12 degrees this week in Boone, 17 in Asheville and 25 in Charlotte.

Conditions are now perfect for one of North Carolina’s strangest fall traditions: The man-made but very convincing blizzards created by ski resort snow machines.

On Tuesday -- with daytime mountain temperatures in the teens and 20s -- ResortCams.com had live coverage of blinding storms at a dozen sites, as cannons fired arcs of snow 25 feet into the air.

Winds of up to 20 mph then carried the fog of snow as far as the eye could see, frosting slopes and trees alike.

This blitz could last for days, as the resorts work to build depth on the slopes.

Sugar Mountain Resort is promising visitors snow 32 inches deep at higher elevations and 6 inches of “machine groomed” snow at the lower end.

Other nearby resorts say they have base depths of 18 to 26 inches.

A few counties, including Watauga, Ashe and Avery County, were reporting real snow Wednesday morning, prompting schools to close or delay classes.

AccuWeather is forecasting the Charlotte area won’t see snow or freezing rain in the next six weeks, despite predictions of temperatures in the 20s.

For now, live cams will have to be the next best thing for snow lovers.

To check some of the most active live cams at N.C. ski resorts, click Appalachian Ski Mountain Slope Cam, Beech Mountain Resort Webcams, or Cataloochie Ski Area Webcams.

All dozen ski resort live cams can be seen at ResortCamsLive.com, and scroll down the list on the right side.

This story was originally published November 27, 2018 at 2:52 PM.