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 The frost advisory is no longer in effect.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)