Early weekend snow, wind, 20-degree temps will make it 'feel like single digits'

Andrew Jones, Asheville Citizen Times
·2 min read
Snowfall accumulated on the mountaintops the week of Jan. 17 as seen in this photo captured Jan. 19 along Woods Ammons Road in Mars Hill. More winter weather is predicted across Buncombe on March 12-13. Southern areas may receive a light dusting while higher elevations could get several inches.
Snowfall accumulated on the mountaintops the week of Jan. 17 as seen in this photo captured Jan. 19 along Woods Ammons Road in Mars Hill. More winter weather is predicted across Buncombe on March 12-13. Southern areas may receive a light dusting while higher elevations could get several inches.

ASHEVILLE - Sandwiched between warm weekdays, a bout of snow is expected to hit Buncombe on March 12, with several inches of accumulation in the mountains followed by a shock of cold temperatures and wind.

Robbie Munroe, a National Weather Service meteorologist at the Greenville-Spartanburg station in South Carolina, said a storm system will be "directly over" Buncombe in the coming days.

Rain late on March 11 could ramp into a cold front set to hit by about 4 a.m. March 12.

"With that you will see a drastic drop-off in temperatures," Munroe said. "By the time people are waking up Saturday morning, it will be 30 at best."

Predicted to reach about 16-17 degrees during the early hours of March 13, temperatures will stretch toward the record low of 14 degrees, set in 1998.

More: Cold front, possible snow in Asheville to coincide with daylight saving time this weekend

The system will likely bring snow to the city and almost certainly to the mountains.

"We'll see probably rain changing over to snow before daybreak Saturday, and then, as the system slides east, we'll see a more traditional northwest flow of snow, where, as you head up north you'll see more widespread snow."

Accumulation in far northern Buncombe may amount to a light dusting and could be as high as an "inch or 2," Munroe said. That tapers back in south Buncombe. Asheville itself may see less than a fraction of an inch.

Snow accumulation above about 4,000 feet, however, could stack up 2-4 inches, Munroe said.

Additionally, the storm could bring wind gusts of 40-50 mph on March 12. Combined with temperatures about 20 degrees that day, weather will be cold.

"By late afternoon, it will feel like single digits," Munroe said.

By Monday, however, things will be back to normal. Average temperatures for mid-March in Buncombe are about 50 degrees and Munroe said that's where they'll climb back to after Sunday.

Code Purple in Asheville is in effect March 11-13, according to the Asheville-Buncombe Homeless Coalition.

Options include:

ABCCM Costello House for men, 141 Hillside St., 4 p.m. and throughout the night in addition to law enforcement and paramedic escorts after hours.

Salvation Army for women and children only, 6-7 p.m. Law enforcement or paramedic escort allowed after hours, 828-253-4723.

Trinity United Methodist Church, 587 Haywood Road is available for overnight for families, couples and other vulnerable people who are unable to access other options. Entry for overnights is 5-7 p.m. Law enforcement or paramedics after hours, 828-490-0444.

Andrew Jones is Buncombe County government and health care reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at @arjonesreports on Facebook and Twitter, 828-226-6203 or arjones@citizentimes.com. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Wind, snow and frigid Buncombe County weekend temperatures imminent