Another Weaverville snow sculpture. This one was created in the middle of the ball field next to Weaverville Primary School (39 South Main Street).

“Old Man Weaver” makes an appearance in downtown Weaverville.

From Blue Mountain Pizza (55 North Main Street), about tonight’s Sixth Anniversary Celebration:

Due to the weather we are having to cancel our Sixth Anniversary Celebration Pizza Buffet.

If you have a a newsletter coupon we will honor that coupon all this week for a large two topping pizza when dining in.

We apologize for the cancellation but the safety of our customers and employees on slick roads make the change necessary.

www.ashevilleweather.com/Forecast/Weaverville

Sorry I wasn’t able to post much in the way of snow updates these past few days, but like many in WNC I lost power at my house during the storm. Actually, I still don’t have power there, so I’ve moved to the Main Street office where I’m working these days (the new doctor’s office, which I’ll talk more about later).

According to the Progress Energy outage map, there’s still a lot of powerless out there.  Most in our area should have it restored by 11 p.m. tomorrow (Tuesday).  If you’re in Barnardsville they’re saying 6 p.m. Wednesday.

Hope everyone’s been able to stay safe and warm. I hear there’s lots of black ice on the roads, even those that look clear, so be careful if you’re going to drive anywhere. Hopefully the appearance of the sun (finally) will help dry out the roads.

8-12 inches expected in our area! Weather forecast

It’s true, there’s a frost warning tonight.

From the National Weather Service:

Frost advisory in effect from 3 am to 9 am EDT Tuesday
The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a frost advisory which is in effect from 3 a.m. to 9 a.m. EDT Tuesday. Areas of frost will develop over the North Carolina mountains tonight. A few locations will likely fall to around freezing, especially over the interior valleys of the southwest mountains. However, freezing temperatures are not expected to be widespread enough to warrant a freeze warning. The eastern and southern slopes of the mountains are not expected to see as much frost as winds will stay up much of the night and there may be a little high cloud cover.

Precautionary/Preparedness actions
A frost advisory means that frost is possible. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.

Some advice from Reems Creek Nursery:

There is a FROST WARNING tonight, especially for the higher elevations.  You should keep your eye on the local weather and be prepared to protect any tender plants.  For VEGETABLES that would include tomatoes, peppers, squash, eggplant, cucumbers, melons, basil, dill, etc. (any heat loving veggie or herb).  Protect any ANNUAL FLOWERS you have planted, and bring houseplants inside.

We have floating row cover (Reemay) for sale at the nursery.  It is a lightweight spun fabric that is designed to provide frost protection for plants.  We also have lightweight, but sturdy, fiberglass rods that you can use to support the row cover.  Sheets, bedspreads, and cardboard boxes can also be used to protect your plants from frost.  Do not use plastic to cover your plants.  REMOVE your frost protection tomorrow in early morning.

Forecast (from Ray’s Weather):

It’s going to be a cold, winterlike day around the mountains, complete with scattered snow showers and flurries. High temperatures today will be 25 to 30-degrees below normal. Temperatures tonight will plummet below freezing as skies clear after midnight. Weather like this can’t last long this time of year, and by midweek, moderating temperatures will be in full swing.

The flowers are starting to bloom downtown as Spring officially comes to Weaverville (as of 7:44 this morning). A big thanks to the Weaverville Garden Club, whose members keep the flower beds around town looking so pretty.

Though these birds don’t seem to mind the early March snowfall, I’m admittedly ready for Winter to give way to Spring. We still have a few days of below normal temperatures coming our way, but my favorite local weather forecasters say it will be almost 70 degrees by the weekend. Anyone else happy to hear that?

Sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset times for the month of September 2008:

Full Moon: September 15, 4:14 a.m.
New Moon: September 29, 3:13 a.m.

This morning I posted an alert from the National Weather Service about a frost advisory for our area. That has now been canceled and replaced with a Freeze Warning.

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a freeze warning, which is in effect from 1 a.m. to 9 a.m. EDT Wednesday for the mountains of North Carolina. The frost advisory is no longer in effect.

The center of a cold air mass will settle over the southern Appalachian region tonight. The combination of mostly clear skies, light winds, and dry air will allow low temperatures to fall to around freezing across the mountains of the North Carolina. A freeze warning means sub-freezing temperatures are imminent or highly likely. These conditions will kill crops and other sensitive vegetation.

From the National Weather Service:

The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a frost advisory for Buncombe County, which is in effect from 1 am to 9 am EDT Wednesday.

The center of a cold air mass will settle over the southern Appalachian region tonight. The combination of mostly clear sky cover, light winds, and dry air will allow low temperatures to fall near record lows. Temperatures are forecast to range from 33 to 35 within the valleys and near freezing across the higher elevations of the North Carolina mountains. These temperatures will promote the formation of frost across the mountains and possibly a light freeze above 3500 feet.

A frost advisory means that frost is possible. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered.

UPDATE: The frost advisory has been replaced with a Freeze warning. Details here…

Winter Morning on Main Street
The main streets look clear now, but early this morning I literally skated across an ice-covered Main Street to get to Well-Bred Bakery (yep, that chocolate croissant was worth it).

I hear the Winter Storm Warning, which was supposed to last until 7 p.m. tonight, has been cancelled.  I’m sure it’s because I actually made sure I was prepared for really bad weather and a power outage:  full tank of gas for the generator, batteries for the radio, a load of firewood sitting next to the fireplace and, most important, all the fixings for a batch of chili to eat while sitting in front of said fireplace.  It’s like when I wash my car to ensure it’ll rain. 

They’re still saying you shouldn’t hit the roads unless you really have to, so be safe if you’re heading out. 

A lot of the time these can be hit or miss, but this one sounds like it could be pretty bad. One forecast has our chance of precipitation at 100%!

From the National Weather Service:

A winter storm warning remains in effect from 7 p.m. this evening to 7 p.m. EST Thursday.

A band of moderate to heavy snow and sleet is forecast to move north over the mountains and foothills late this evening into the early morning hours of Thursday. This band will likely result in a quick accumulation of one to two inches of snow and sleet across eastern slopes of the mountains and adjacent foothills. A rapid transition to sleet and freezing rain will then follow during the early morning hours Thursday. An additional inch or two of snow is possible…mainly at higher elevations in and near the mountains. Freezing rain will then fall for much of the morning before temperatures warm to a few degrees above freezing. Where temperatures stay below freezing the longest…up to a quarter inch of ice accumulation is possible.

The timing of the wintry precipitation will likely lead to significant travel problems across the warned area Thursday morning. Ice accumulations around a quarter of an inch may result in some trees and power lines to fall…blocking roads and leading to scattered power outages.

A winter storm warning means significant amounts of snow… Sleet… And ice are expected or occurring. Strong winds are also possible. This will make travel very hazardous or impossible.

A couple links, in case they’re needed:

School Closings
Road Conditions (click on Asheville on the map for more information about road conditions in the area)