Heavy Snow — Yancey, North Carolina

2022-03-12 · Yancey, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

Rain developed across the North Carolina mountains late on the 11th in association with a cold front. Snow levels quickly lowered in the wake of the front, allowing lingering precipitation to transition to snow during the early morning hours of the 12th. The snow transitioned to snow showers that continued into the afternoon as brisk northwest winds pushed moisture up the western slopes. Heavy snowfall accumulations of 3 to 7 inches were reported across the higher elevations along the Tennessee border, with locally higher amounts of up to 10 inches. Winds gusting to 35 to 50 mph from the northwest in the wake of the front resulted in periods of blizzard-like conditions. Although the transition to snow was somewhat brief in the lower elevations, 1 to 3 inches also managed to accumulate in many valley locations before the precipitation ended.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1015371. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.