ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Public works crews were out and about Thursday, treating roads with brine ahead of a winter storm expected to hit the Asheville area Friday.
Crews, which will be on standby around the clock, plan to salt the roads throughout the weekend as needed, ensuring safe travel conditions, a spokesperson for the city of Asheville said.
With recent outages in mind, Asheville Water Resources Department personnel will also be on alert to address any issues that may arise, particularly concerning water infrastructure and potential impacts on services, city officials said.
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Heaters, ice melt and shovels were hot commodities Thursday at local hardware stores.
“It’s over there around the counter,” one shopper said, holding up the ice melt for another shopper.
How much ice melt or snow shovels will be needed remains to be seen.
The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Western North Carolina from 7 a.m. Friday until 7 a.m. Saturday.
Heavy mixed precipitation is possible, according to the NWS. But the forecast is mainly snow — possibly 2 to 5 inches — in the Asheville area.
As far as the timing, forecast models vary on when the storm will arrive in Western North Carolina. But it looks as if snow will start falling Friday morning and possibly transition to a winter mix Friday night into Saturday morning.
Snow and ice accumulations will make many roads treacherous and impassable. The weight of the snow and ice on tree limbs and power lines could produce scattered outages. The hazardous conditions could impact the Friday morning and evening commutes.
According to the National Weather Service, this will be the area’s first winter storm in three years.