Minus 15 wind chills and 40-mph gusts prompt travel warning in Western North Carolina

Wind chills as low as minus 15 are forecast Wednesday in the North Carolina mountains, prompting warnings of dangerous conditions for those venturing outdoors.

A wind chill advisory is in effect through mid-morning and a wind advisory is in place until 1 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

“Wind chill values will run as low as 5 to 15 degrees below zero ... with gusts of 40+ mph for the mountains,” the National Weather Service reports.

Wind gusts could reach 50 mph, leading to power outages caused by falling limbs and trees, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service suggested drivers delay traveling Wednesday morning.

The advisories come after days of snow fell in Western North Carolina and temperatures remained cold enough to thwart any melting, forecasters say. Mount Mitchell in Yancey County, the tallest peak east of the Mississippi, recorded a temperature of 6.7 degrees early Wednesday, with a minus 5.7 wind chill.

Parts of Madison County got 8.5 inches of snow Tuesday, with 8 inches in the Banner Elk area of Avery County, the National Weather Service reports.

Officials at Great Smoky Mountains National Park reported Tuesday that a foot of snow had fallen over the previous two days and road crews were finding “4 to 6 foot snow drifts at Newfound Gap!”

“Although the recent heavy, accumulating snow has ended across the western mountains of North Carolina, a combination of very cold temperatures in the teens and 20s and lingering isolated snow showers will continue to pose travel difficulties,” the National Weather Service said Wednesday.