Who got snow in Western North Carolina? Blue Ridge Parkway still closed in Asheville?
ASHEVILLE - The Asheville area saw only light flurries from a Dec. 10 snow, but higher elevations along the North Carolina and Tennessee border and a few other outlying areas, especially above 3,5000 feet elevation, saw some snowfall, according to National Weather Service meteorologists.
Snow and ice have also left large stretches of the Blue Ridge Parkway closed, including the roadway through Asheville, except for a few ungated sections. As of 11 a.m. Dec. 11, the parkway was closed from N.C. 128/Milepost 355.3 at the entrance to Mount Mitchell State Park, to south of Craggy Gardens Tunnel at MP 376, to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance at MP 469.
At 2 p.m. Dec. 11, parkway spokesperson Leese Brandon confirmed MP 381, just beyond the Folk Art Center, to Brevard Road at MP 393 was open. Everything to the south was still closed due to ice, debris and snow.
Many areas farther north were also closed. Mount Mitchell State Park ― about 35 miles northeast of Asheville ― is closed from Dec. 5-22 due to parkways closures from N.C. 80 to Craggy Gardens for maintenance. Mount Mitchell is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River, towering at an elevation of 6,684 feet. By comparison, Asheville sits at about 2,200 feet elevation.
Since much of the parkway, which snakes along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Smokies in Cherokee, spans high elevations, the road sees colder, wetter and windier conditions than surrounding communities. This often necessitates closures when temperatures dip.
To see the latest updates visit: nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/roadclosures.htm.
On Iron Mountain, a peak near the state border in Mitchell County, 2 inches of snow accumulated, said Doug Outlaw, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Likewise, there was 3 inches of snow in Madison County near Max Patch and 3 inches on Beech Mountain, which sits at 5,506 feet elevation. Flat Springs, in far northern Avery County, saw 1/3 of an inch.
While only a few areas of Asheville saw flurries, mostly in northern Buncombe County, Outlaw said, there was a "big rain," with 2.3 inches on Dec. 10. It brings the month to a total of 3.6 inches and the year to a total of 35.6 inches. That's 11.2 inches of rain below normal.
There's no snow in the outlook for the rest of the week, Outlaw said. "It's going to be dry," he said.
High temperatures are expected to reach 41 degrees Fahrenheit Dec. 11, with a low around 23 degrees overnight. The forecast for Dec. 12 is a high near 50, according to the National Weather Service.
According to park rules, when the parkway is closed to vehicles for snow or other weather events, people can go behind the gates to walk dogs on a 6-foot leash, hike, bicycle ride or snowshoe. Just be sure to park well off the roadway and not block gates.
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NCDOT to close section of parkway
Weather-related closures aren't the only complications that will impact the parkway this winter.
A Dec. 11 news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation announced a contractor will close a 5-mile section of the parkway on Dec. 12 to switch traffic a few feet onto a new section west of the existing bridge over Interstate 26.
Crews from Fluor-United will close the section between Hendersonville Road at MP 388.1 and Brevard Road at MP 393.1 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m., said the release. Crews will move safety gear and construction equipment and install lane markings.
Northbound parkway traffic will be directed to Brevard Road, then I-40 East and Hendersonville Road. Southbound traffic will take Hendersonville Road to Long Shoals Road to Clayton Road to Brevard Road.
Following the traffic shift, contract crews will begin building reinforced soil slopes in January and then build a new short section of the parkway.
Construction of a new parkway bridge is part of the I-26 widening projects — one in each county — that will improve safety and reduce travel times along the critical transportation corridor.
"The new bridge is necessary to accommodate free-flowing traffic on both directions of I-26," the release said.
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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. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Blue Ridge Parkway closures snowfall in Western North Carolina
