Will Asheville see its first snow? Buncombe under flood watch as Nicole sends rain, wind
ASHEVILLE - As Asheville feels the rainy, gusty impacts of Tropical Depression Nicole crawling across northern Georgia, more weather events could be ahead, with National Weather Service meteorologists forecasting a potential light first snow for the area on Nov. 15.
Sitting at about a 40% chance, if it comes, Asheville can expect only a dusting or "trace amounts."
Meteorologist Doug Outlaw said Nov. 11 that a low pressure system will likely move in from Texas early next week, crossing Georgia and the Carolinas on Nov. 15.
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A slight chance of snow, about 20-30%, begins at 3 a.m. that morning, transitioning into a mixture of snow and freezing rain at sunrise.
With a 40% chance of snow the morning of Nov. 15, it will likely become a cold, light rain by late morning, continuing through the afternoon.
“It looks like any amounts that fall will be very light, and with the high temperature only getting up to about 40 degrees on Tuesday, that will be above freezing, not only for Asheville, but across nearly all of the mountains," Outlaw said. "So if there is a chance of any slick spots on area roads, it should be temporary.”
Another NWS meteorologist, Clay Chaney, had a similar message and cautioned people against expecting much accumulation, anticipating precipitation could look like anything from sleet and snow to freezing rain.
"Right now, there is still a lot of uncertainty with that," Chaney said. "Tuesday morning, you could see a brief period of wintry mix precipitation, but as of now, it looks like it would quickly transition to all rain for the downtown Asheville area."
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Higher peaks in Buncombe County, above 4,000 feet, could see some ice and snow accumulation, Chaney said. "It's kind of hard to determine whether or not this event would actually produce Asheville's first snow."
Last winter's first snow came Jan. 3, an overnight storm system that brought up to 2 inches of snow in Buncombe County, according to previous Citizen Times reporting.
This was followed by 10.4 inches snow the weekend of Jan. 16, nearly topping the normal annual amount of 11.1 in a single snowstorm.
Outlaw said any snow next week would be relatively early for the first snow of the winter for Asheville.
Though temperatures this week have been relatively high, they are anticipated to drop over the weekend, with a low of about 24 degrees the night of Nov. 13 for Asheville.
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Currently, Buncombe County is under a flood watch, and eastern areas of the county, such as Black Mountain, have seen the most rainfall with just over 4 inches.
As of 2 p.m. Nov. 11, downtown Asheville had had about 2 inches of rain, with east and west areas of the city getting under an inch. Rain will end gradually by 9 p.m., Outlaw said.
A flood watch is in effect until 1 a.m. Nov. 12.
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Chaney said there has not been significant flooding in the Asheville area, though Polk County and other flood-prone areas were more impacted.
A wind advisory is in place until 7 p.m. Nov. 11.
Code Purple called, homeless shelters add options
As temperatures are likely to drop below freezing, the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Coalition has called Code Purple for Nov. 12-14, which will open additional homeless shelter options in the city.
Veterans Restoration Headquarters
1329 Tunnel Road
828-259-5333
Available for men
ABCCM Transformation Village
30 Olin Haven Way
828-259-5365
Available for women, children, veterans with screening process
A shuttle bus will leave from 24 Cumberland Ave. at 4 p.m. for shelters.
Sarah Honosky is the city government reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. News Tips? Email shonosky@citizentimes.com or message on Twitter at @slhonosky.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: First snow in Asheville? Forecasters predict Nicole will bring snow
