8 inches of snow expected in parts of NC mountains. Rock slides add to travel misery.
Up to eight inches of blinding snow and 60-mph wind gusts are expected in parts of the North Carolina mountains this weekend, National Weather Service meteorologists warned.
Rock slides, meanwhile, prompted alerts to drivers on Interstate 40 westbound in McDowell County and U.S. 19/74 in the Nantahala Gorge.
Ongoing rain showers Saturday morning transitioned to snow showers in most parts of the North Carolina mountains by Saturday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service office in Greer, S.C.
“Be prepared for rapidly changing conditions later today across the mountains,” NWS meteorologists tweeted at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday.
In Great Smoky Mountains National Park, officials temporarily closed U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg to Cherokee at noon Saturday due to snow and ice, according to a park tweet.
By 5:45 p.m., “snowy and very windy conditions” had developed across the N.C. mountains, NWS meteorologists tweeted.
“Gusty northwest winds combined with falling snow may reduce visibilities at times,” NWS forecasters warned in a winter weather bulletin earlier Saturday.
Six to 8 inches of snow could fall across higher elevations in Swain and Haywood counties and up to 5 inches at Mount Mitchell, 19 miles northeast of Asheville.
An inch or less of snow is expected across mountain valleys, NWS forecasters said.
The NWS winter weather advisory for the mountains is in effect from noon Saturday until 7 a.m. Sunday.
Residents across the mountains posted video of heavy snow falling and pictures of snow-slickened roads.
“Beech Mountain a mess right now,” a man posted. “Roads got bad fast. Having to go around a lot of stuck cars.”
The Charlotte area can expect a second day of balmy weather on Saturday, with an expected high of 64 degrees, according to the NWS forecast late Saturday morning. Charlotte’s average high for this time of year is 50 degrees, NWS meteorologists told the Observer.
Conditions should be quite the opposite in the Charlotte area, NWS forecasters said.
Charlotte’s high is expected to drop to the mid-50s on Sunday and through mid-week, according to the NWS. Sunny skies are forecast Sunday and Monday.
This story was originally published January 4, 2020 at 11:47 AM.