Newfound Gap Road through Smokies to close Friday evening due to high winds

U.S. Highway 441/Newfound Gap Road from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, to Cherokee, North Carolina, will close at 6 p.m. March 24 due to high winds.

The major road through the Smokies will be temporarily closed beginning Friday evening, a tweet from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park Road Info account announced.

Showers and thunderstorms expected to roll in late Friday night will also bring strong winds, according to the National Weather Service. Winds 20-25 mph and gusts up to 65 mph are possible in the Smokies and in the foothills on the east side of the mountains.

A wind advisory goes into effect in the area from 10 p.m. tonight until 1 a.m. March 25. The advisory will escalate to a high wind warning that will stay in effect until 2 p.m. Another wind advisory will follow, until 8 p.m.

“People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches. If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows. Use caution if you must drive,” warns the advisory from the National Weather Service Morristown station.

“Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. Widespread power outages are expected. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles,” the weather service advisory continued.

Up-to-date weather information can be found at weather.gov/mrx and Great Smoky Mountains National Park road status updates are shared on the @SmokiesRoadsNPS Twitter account.

Devarrick Turner is a trending news reporter. Email devarrick.turner@knoxnews.com. Twitter @dturner1208. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Newfound Gap Road in Smokies closes March 24