From 7 inches of rain to 4 inches of snow: perilous weather stacks up in Western NC
Tornadoes and thunderstorms that ravaged North Carolina on Thursday have given way to gusty winds, freezing temperatures and snow in the mountains, forecasters say.
Temperatures are expected to drop across Western North Carolina on Friday — causing already-wet roadways to freeze over, according to the National Weather Service.
Scattered snow showers were also expected throughout the morning.
By 9 a.m., Great Smoky Mountains National Park reported four inches of snow had fallen at Mount LeConte — on top of the 7.04 inches of rain that fell Thursday. About five inches of rain also fell at park headquarters.
Most of North and South Carolina remain under a wind advisory until 6 p.m. Friday, the weather service said.
“The very windy conditions may impact residents and responders attempting cleanup and repairs from the damage on Thursday. Use extreme caution if working outdoors today, especially under trees or power lines,” the advisory states. “Wet soils from recent heavy rainfall may result in weakened root systems, causing more trees to fall from lower than usual wind speeds.”
Winds near Asheville are forecast around 17 mph with some gusts reaching as high as 31 mph, according to the weather service.
Forecasters said temperatures will peak in the low 40s on Saturday with more rain and snow expected throughout the day.
Roadways across North Carolina already have been shut down as a result of flooding, debris and downed trees and power lines, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation. The agency’s real-time map indicates “hundreds of roads have been affected by the storm.”
U.S. 441 from Cherokee to the Tennessee border is closed in both directions until Saturday, according to the DOT. The Cherokee County rest area is closed due to flooding.
Officials shut down U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge on Thursday night, citing a rockslide. It remains closed “at least through the daylight hours on Friday,” according to a press release.
“There’s probably 50 or 60 truck loads of material in there that we’ll have to haul away,” Division 14 Maintenance Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said in the release.
Additional road closures and detours can be found at drivenc.gov.
This story was originally published February 7, 2020 at 12:25 PM.
