ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — A thin glaze of ice coated vehicle windshields across the Asheville area Monday morning — a quiet reminder that winter weather is settling in. And forecasters say more is on the way.
The National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for parts of the northern Blue Ridge, where freezing rain is expected from 7 p.m. Monday through 10 a.m. Tuesday. Light icing could make roads slick and the Tuesday morning commute hazardous.
The advisory covers Avery, Yancey and Mitchell counties, along with the mountainous areas of Burke, Caldwell and McDowell counties. Forecasters expect up to two-tenths of an inch of ice, mainly on mid-elevation slopes.
Slow down and use caution if traveling, the Weather Service warned, noting that power outages are possible in spots.
The alert follows a morning of light freezing rain and rime ice across portions of the central and northern mountains. Weather Service observers reported thin but widespread accumulations Sunday into early Monday.
Forecasters said dry, chilly weather would briefly return during the day Monday before another wave of precipitation builds overnight. Most areas in Western North Carolina will see cold rain, but temperatures along the northern Blue Ridge are expected to hover near freezing long enough for more icing to develop.
By Tuesday afternoon, as colder northwest winds sweep in behind the system, precipitation could shift to snow or rime ice along the Tennessee border. Any lingering flakes are expected to taper off around sunset.
Temperatures will fall sharply Tuesday night, with lows dropping into the upper teens and lower 20s across the mountains.
Another round of unsettled, unseasonably cold weather is possible Friday, when freezing rain may again develop early in the day before changing to rain.