A snowstorm is headed toward Western North Carolina today, Friday, Jan. 10, bringing ice hazards and several inches of precipitation to most of the region.
The most recent hazard alert issued by the National Weather Service for WNC was a winter storm warning posted at 4:05 a.m. Jan. 10 confirming that it is in effect from 7 a.m. Friday-7 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 11. The alert applies to a portion of WNC including Buncombe and Henderson Counties. It calls for “heavy mixed precipitation,” with total snow and sleet accumulations between 2-8 inches and ice accumulations around 0.1 inch.
The alert also warns of “treacherous and impassable” roads, as well as potential isolated outages due to the weight of snow and ice on tree limbs and power lines. Friday morning and evening commutes may be affected.
NWS meteorologists provided more information to the Citizen Times. Here’s what we know.
When will the snow start in Asheville, Western NC?
NWS Meteorologist Clay Chaney told the Citizen Times that snowfall is expected to begin this morning around 10 a.m. in the southwest, spreading across the state.
“It’ll just spread northeast from there,” Chaney said. “So we expect the mountains will likely be seeing snow from Asheville southwest, probably by about 1 p.m., and then the northern mountains will start to pick up the next couple hours after that.”
Icy roads in Asheville, Western NC
Chaney said that slick, “treacherous” road conditions are a big concern in Asheville and most of WNC during this storm due to the nature of the precipitation.
“There may be a little bit of freezing rain that also develops at some point this evening or over early overnight,” Chaney said. “So there could be a little bit of additional ice, maybe a couple of hundreds of an inch of ice, that could be enough to cause slick roads on its own, given how cold it’s going to be.”
Additionally, low temperatures will make precipitation on roads more likely to refreeze despite road treatments, prolonging these hazards.
“The temperatures probably are going to only barely get above freezing today, if at all,” Chaney said. “So the road conditions probably will get bad. It will be a temperature where we would expect treatment. If they salt the roads, that treatment might work, but with it getting colder again tonight, anything that melts today could freeze over again tonight.
More: Western NC snow: Closures, cancellations, postponements
How much snow will Asheville, NC get?
Currently, about 2.5 inches of total accumulation including sleet and snow is expected in Asheville. Asheville is one of the WNC areas that is also expected to see some sleet mixed into the snowfall.
“It’ll probably begin as all snow, and then especially over the Smokies, and then over toward Asheville, and maybe Marion, those areas probably will see the snow change over to sleet for a time, and that changeover probably will occur by about 4 or 5 p.m.,” Chaney said. “Then It probably will change back to all snow around maybe 10 p.m. to midnight, and then after that, it’ll begin to taper off.”
How much snow will Hendersonville, NC get?
In Hendersonville, 3 inches of total accumulation is expected. Like Asheville, Hendersonville may some sleet mixed into snowfall.
More: How to drive in the snow: Tips for safe driving in inclement weather
When will the snow stop?
Like the rest of the forecast, this may vary. Chaney said that in most areas of WNC, residents will see the snow taper off by about 4 a.m.
“Areas right along the Tennessee border probably will continue to see some snow until the middle of the day tomorrow,” Chaney said. “That probably won’t be very significant on top of what they will have already gotten, but they could see at least flurries and maybe some very light accumulation continue until the middle of the day, Saturday.”
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: When will snow start in Asheville, Western NC? The latest forecast