Get your rain jackets and snow boots ready Asheville — there is some potentially hazardous (and varied) weather on the way later today.
The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch and wind advisory for much of the Western North Carolina region. The flash flood watch is in effect until 6 p.m. this evening, and the wind advisory lasts until midnight. According to the Weather Service, “a large and well developed low pressure system will track northeast along the western slopes of the Appalachians today. The broad circulation associated with the low will transport deep Gulf and Atlantic moisture across the Western Carolinas and Northeast Georgia today. Large scale forcing and a unstable environment should support heavy rain showers today…with periods of strong to severe afternoon thunderstorms.” The possible torrential rainfall is expected to result in flash flooding along small creeks and streams and causing elevated levels and flow on main stem rivers, particularly along the French Broad River. Winds are expected to be 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 55 mph. The National Weather Service states that “the combination of a saturated ground, periods of moderate to heavy rain, and strong winds may down numerous trees and power lines. Travel will become hazardous on higher mountain roadways and in locations where winds are channeled between passes.”
In addition, the Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory across parts of the region from midnight tonight until 7am Friday. After the low pressure rainstorms pass through this afternoon, the temperatures are expected to drop, with the potential for rain changing to snow late this evening, continuing off and on through Thursday, and tapering off early Friday morning. Snow accumulation could be anywhere from 1 to 4 inches (with higher amounts expected in the upper elevations along the Tennessee border).
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