If all the “special weather statements” come true, we sure are in for it here in the mountains. Oh, yeah. It is Friday the Thirteeth after all. Happy Weekend!
Firstly:
…SEVERE WEATHER OUTLOOK…
A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL MOVE FROM THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER VALLEY EARLY THIS MORNING TO THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS BY EARLY EVENING. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL GRADUALLY BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS ACROSS THE REGION…AS WARM AND UNSTABLE AIR IS PUMPED INTO THE WESTERN CAROLINAS AND NORTHEAST GEORGIA. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS…PRODUCING DIME TO NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND WINDS GUSTS TO 60 MPH.
A MORE ORGANIZED AND WIDESPREAD LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD CROSS THE REGION FROM THE WEST THIS EVENING. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL…HAIL OF NICKEL TO QUARTER SIZE…AND VERY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS OF 70 MPH…WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS LINE. A VERY FAVORABLE INCREASE AND TURNING OF THE WINDS WITH HEIGHT IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL ALSO CREATE THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED TORNADOES.
THE WINDOW FOR SEVERE WEATHER TODAY WILL OPEN ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS BY MID AFTERNOON…AND CLOSE BEFORE MIDNIGHT ACROSS THE INTERSTATE 77 CORRIDOR IN THE PIEDMONT OF THE WESTERN CAROLINAS. ANY LOCATION IN THE REGION COULD EXPERIENCE SEVERE WEATHER TODAY…ESPECIALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS…BUT THE EXTREME SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS…NORTHEAST GEORGIA…AND THE UPSTATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA WILL HAVE THE GREATEST CHANCE. SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES ARE VERY POSSIBLE AT SOME POINT LATER TODAY.
Secondly:
…HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM EST SUNDAY… THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM EST SUNDAY. THIS REPLACES THE HIGH WIND WATCH THAT WAS IN EFFECT.
STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS…SUSTAINED AT 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH…WILL OCCUR SATURDAY INTO SATURDAY NIGHT… ESPECIALLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.
A HIGH WIND WARNING MEANS A HAZARDOUS HIGH WIND EVENT IS EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS OF AT LEAST 40 MPH OR GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR MORE CAN LEAD TO PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE DAMAGE FROM THE HIGH WINDS IS LIKELY TO CAUSE SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES ACROSS THE REGION.
Thirdly:
…HEAVY SNOW WARNING IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREENVILLE-SPARTANBURG HAS ISSUED A HEAVY SNOW WARNING…WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO MIDNIGHT EST SATURDAY NIGHT. THE WINTER STORM WATCH IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.
RAIN SHOWERS WILL BEGIN MIXING WITH SNOW SHOWERS AT ELEVATIONS OVER 4000 FEET THIS EVENING…WITH SNOW LEVELS STEADILY DROPPING OVERNIGHT. ON SATURDAY…MOISTURE LIFTED UP THE WESTERN FACING SLOPES OF THE APPALACHIANS WILL OVERSPEAD ALL OF THE TENNESSEE BORDER AREAS AND CONTINUE THROUGH MOST OF THE DAY. SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED TO ERODE FROM THE SOUTH SATURDAY EVENING.
SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 6 INCHES ARE FORECAST NOW FOR THE ENTIRE TENNESSEE BORDER AREAS IN NORTH CAROLINA…FROM AVERY COUNTY SOUTHWEST TO GRAHAM COUNTY. HIGHER ELEVATIONS WITHIN THIS REGION COULD SEE MUCH MORE IN THE WAY OF SNOW. MOUNTAIN VALLEYS AWAY FROM THE BORDER MAY SEE ONLY AN INCH OR TWO.
IN ADDITION…WINDY CONDITIONS WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY IN BLOWING SNOW AT TIMES SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. ALTHOUGH THE INCOMING AIRMASS IS NOT AN EXTREMELY FRIGID ONE…THE WIND WILL INTERACT WITH SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES TO PRODUCE SOME WIND CHILLS NEAR…OR SLIGHTLY BELOW…ZERO AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS LATE SATURDAY.
A HEAVY SNOW WARNING MEANS SEVERE WINTER WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED OR OCCURRING. SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW ARE FORECAST THAT WILL MAKE TRAVEL DANGEROUS. ONLY TRAVEL IN AN EMERGENCY. IF YOU MUST…KEEP AN EXTRA FLASHLIGHT…FOOD…AND WATER IN YOUR VEHICLE IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.
I’d rather get several inches of snow than anymore rain………26 days and counting………12.36 inches (as of 6:00PM last night!!) and counting………old records of 33 days and 13.5 inches are in danger of falling. Good thing I’ll be warm and dry watching the Seahawks on Saturday!!
Sure missed you at the red hot martini party–*sob*
we still have some snow on our side of the cove–but just a dusting of it ….