SNOW THIS WEEKEND...?

Models are showing 1-2" of snow Saturday night into early Sunday morning, behind the next quick hit of cold temperatures.  I won't be on the mountain, but I'll be watching cameras and such and will update as needed.

Bob

ICY ROAD ALERT

 A very icy section of Apple Creek Road is just on the downhill side of the mirror curve.  There is a notorious  artesian spring that keeps surfacing and I just got a report of how slick it is.  Hopefully somebody may throw some salt to quicken the thawing process....it will warm up nicely today, but ice is slow to go.

Bob

S(NO)W TONIGHT...

From the files: Magnolia blossoms floating in a fountain (click to enlarge)

FRIDAY AM UPDATE:  Just like the ol' breakfast cereal:  "Nut'n' Honey"  All is clear...the cold air was too delayed to cause any frozen troubles.

While many to the west have had to deal with a deadly ice and snow storm and it's effects, we continue to have a "quiet" winter in terms of very limited snow thanks to a jet stream that simply doesn't dig well east of the Appalachians...at least yet.

We will get a decent shot of cold coming in tonight behind a cold front....highs Friday in the 30s, lows in the teens Saturday...but temps start to rebound some by the end of the weekend.

Before I talk frozen stuff, I don't see an issue for the bottom half of ACA....not that you won't see flakes flying, but you shouldn't see anything more than a dusting at best.

For upper ACA, even with a light accumulation, it looks like the rain will transition to some snow which is a recipe for icy road surfaces once the temperature drops.  It takes but a sheen of ice to lose control of a vehicle, so that will be my main concern.  Onset should be around the evening meal up to about midnight, and I'll be on the mountain and update if needed.

At the moment, the National Weather Service uses the official wording of 'little to no accumulation', and no bulletin messages for Haywood County.  Insofar as the models, the GFS shows nil, the EURO shows <0.5", and the not-oft correct NAM is showing 1"-3" above 4K' right by us.

Have a good Thursday and I'll update if or as needed as dusk approaches.

Bob

MONDAY 8:30am UPDATE

 So far it's a skunk, and I have no problem with that.  From the double hairpins up, there are portions of white-covered road, but I have yet to slip anywhere.  Although the advisory continues to 4pm, the moisture field incoming is not impressive.  The biggest trouble I had were very icy stairs, deck, and car early this morning.  When you get a vantage point, you can see more snow above 4K' toward the west/northwest.

Bob

WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR ACA

 I'm on the hoof for several more hours, so when I took a moment to read the Winter Weather Advisory itself, I was taken aback by the increased amounts of snow. 

However, upon reading in more detail as it was written, those heavier amounts really are the closer you get to the Tennessee border. The going National Weather Service forecast for Waynesville area has zero accumulation, although I still see a dusting to possibly a half inch on the GFS and the Euro models. I'm still anticipating about an inch up at the end of Staymon, possibly 2 inches but only if the wind direction is perfectly from the northwest. 

The wind will be blowing a lot of this around, and the warm roads should still melt a lot of the onset of this snow. It should be falling easily before sunrise in the morning...and temperatures will stay in the 30s for Monday. 

If I see any significant update, I'll post it later tonight or very early tomorrow morning before sunrise.

Please excuse any typos and grammar faux-pas as it's trickier posting from my phone.

Bob

DUKE ENERGY ALERT...???

Winter dawn from the end of Staymon

[SUNDAY AM UPDATE 'UPDATE': Skies clearing, temp now up from 32 after the lightest of icing on vegetation. I'll post later today about any light snow expected tomorrow morning.]

I found it unusual that I received a text alert from Duke Energy about the possibility of icing after midnight tonight into Sunday morning.  Having just gotten back from errands around town, there are numerous line repair trucks staged at Big Lots and many more at Petsmart.

However, data has never suggested we'd have an issue here in Haywood County.  From Buncombe County northeast to Virginia, there is a Winter Weather Advisory to that effect, but we should be just a cold rain here in ACA.  We don't need ice, The Great Equalizer; it's nobody's friend.

BUT...Monday morning, starting around 3am if not earlier, rain should change over to snow.  I see only 1" for the upper ACA, and hoping the road surfaces will stay warm enough to where any snow will accumulate on non-road surfaces only.  Crossing fingers...it's a light event for sure, but a cold day that will stay in the low to mid 30s for many of us.

I will post any updates on that issue tomorrow as I am able.

Bob

IT DUMPED...

When I got up at 3:30am,  I realized that the Winter Storm Warning was well-timed.  It dumped overnight as I've got 4.5" to 5" and 20 degrees here at the end of Staymon.  I'll use this post to update with road conditions, plowing, info, etc., as I get it.

Bob