Extreme cold will descend for holiday

Dec. 21—HIGH POINT — A winter weather system will rush into the region for Christmas weekend, bringing dangerously frigid temperatures expected to push wind chill readings into the single digits.

It's possible that temperatures could drop below freezing sometime Friday morning and not rise above 32 degrees until Monday afternoon, said WXII-TV Meteorologist Brian Slocum.

There's also a possibility of light snowfall from Friday morning through the early afternoon, though Slocum said little to no accumulation is expected. But any precipitation that falls will freeze and could pose treacherous driving conditions over the weekend where ice doesn't melt, Slocum told The High Point Enterprise.

Temperatures from Friday morning through Monday morning or early afternoon could be more than 20 degrees below averages for this part of December.

"Our high for the day on Friday could very well be before the sun comes up," Slocum told The High Point Enterprise. "Temperatures are expected to fall pretty hard and pretty fast."

Temperatures on Friday will plummet from the 40s before dawn to below freezing by the afternoon. By Friday night wind chills will reach into the teens, and by Christmas morning on Sunday wind chills will dip to the single digits to near zero degrees, Slocum said.

After a high early Friday of 45 degrees, the low will nosedive to 14 degrees Friday night, according to the National Weather Service. The high Saturday will be 29 degrees with a low of 15 degrees, while the high Sunday will be 31 degrees with a low of 16 degrees.

"This is coming at a time when a lot of people are traveling," Slocum said.

The chance of snow for Friday is uncertain at this point, though Slocum said any accumulation would be minimal. The wintry precipitation is expected to be snow, not sleet or freezing rain, and will fall in a relatively short period of two hours or less.

"The big question is whether enough moisture is left over from the winter system to allow a burst of snow at the end," Slocum said. "We may get a dusting to maybe half an inch. Or we may get nothing at all."

Another risk with the storm system surging into the Piedmont Triad involves wind gusts Friday that could reach up to 40-45 mph, raising the possibility of scattered power outages from downed trees and limbs. Wind gusts will continue into Friday evening, the National Weather Service reports.

High Point Electric Utilities Department Director Tyler Berrier said his agency is prepared to respond to outages and can call in extra support crews if needed.

"We are always monitoring the weather," Berrier told The Enterprise. "We are prepared and definitely watching the forecast to see what happens."

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul