The National Weather Service has issued a “Winter Weather Advisory” for the Asheville area, warning that “heavy snow and strong winds” are possible throughout the day of Jan. 21 into the early morning hours of Jan. 22.
The agency predicts snow accumulations of 1-2 inches for Asheville, with much more possible in the higher elevations just outside of town. It cautions that the winter weather is likely to cause dangerous driving conditions and power outages.
The Weather Service has also issued a “Wind Chill Advisory” for the local area, warning that “very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills” that could result in frost bite and hypothermia if proper clothing is not worn outside. Rays Weather Center is predicting a low temperature of 9 degrees in Asheville Tuesday night, with wind chills dipping below zero.
Here’s the complete advisory from the National Weather Service:
Winter Weather Advisory
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE…DELAYED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG SC
502 AM EST TUE JAN 21 2014…HEAVY SNOW AND STRONG WINDS POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF THE NORTH
CAROLINA MOUNTAINS BEGINNING THIS MORNING….AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS
LATE THIS MORNING…FOLLOWED BY A STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH.
MOIST WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN AGAINST THE WESTERN FACING SLOPES OF
THE MOUNTAINS ALONG THE BORDER BETWEEN TENNESSEE AND NORTH
CAROLINA…PRODUCING ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WHICH IS LIKELY TO
BECOME HEAVY IN SOME AREAS. WHILE THE SNOW WILL DIMINISH IN
INTENSITY LATE THIS EVENING…STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE INTO
EARLY WEDNESDAY. THIS IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE WIND CHILLS TO FALL
BELOW ZERO. RAPIDLY FALLING TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO RESULT IN
WIDESPREAD BLACK ICE.BUNCOMBE-NORTHERN JACKSON-MACON-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF…ASHEVILLE…SYLVA…FRANKLIN
502 AM EST TUE JAN 21 2014…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM EST
WEDNESDAY……WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 1 PM THIS AFTERNOON
TO NOON EST WEDNESDAY…* LOCATIONS…BUNCOMBE…NORTHERN JACKSON AND MACON COUNTIES.
* HAZARDS…SNOW…BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS AND VERY WINDY
CONDITIONS.* TIMING…SNOW WILL BEGIN AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS LATE THIS
MORNING. A PERIOD OF SNOW IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE REGION THIS
AFTERNOON…WITH SNOW SHOWERS CONFINED TO HIGHER ELEVATIONS
LATE TONIGHT. WIND CHILL VALUES WILL BEGIN TO FALL AT HIGHER
ELEVATIONS THIS AFTERNOON.* ACCUMULATIONS…SNOW ACCUMULATION OF 1 TO 2 INCHES…WITH A
FEW HIGHER AMOUNTS.* IMPACTS…SNOW WILL MAKE FOR SLIPPERY TRAVEL CONDITIONS. AS
TEMPERATURES RAPIDLY FALL…BLACK ICE IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ON MANY ROADS. SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES MAY OCCUR DUE TO FALLEN
ELECTRICAL LINES. VERY LOW WIND CHILLS WILL MAKE IT DANGEROUS
TO BE OUTSIDE FOR LONG PERIODS.* WIND CHILL…FROM 5 BELOW TO 20 BELOW…WITH THE LOWEST WIND
CHILLS EXPECTED LATE TONIGHT.* TEMPERATURES…FALLING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS LATE TONIGHT.
* WINDS…NORTHWEST 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW
WILL CAUSE PRIMARILY TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SNOW
COVERED ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLACK ICE MEANS THAT REFREEZING OF
ROADS WILL OCCUR…RESULTING IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIDESPREAD
BLACK ICE. BE PREPARED FOR VERY SLIPPERY ROADWAYS. SOME ROADS
THAT APPEAR CLEAR MAY BE COVERED BY A THIN LAYER OF ICE.A WIND CHILL ADVISORY MEANS THAT VERY COLD AIR AND STRONG WINDS
WILL COMBINE TO GENERATE LOW WIND CHILLS. THIS WILL RESULT IN
FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA IF PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.
IF YOU MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS…MAKE SURE YOU WEAR A HAT AND
GLOVES.STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR FAVORITE SOURCE OF
WEATHER INFORMATION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES. ADDITIONAL DETAILS
CAN BE FOUND AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/GSP.
