Winter Weather — Mcdowell Mountains, North Carolina

2018-03-24 to 2018-03-25 · Mcdowell Mountains, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

As a warm front lifted slowly north across the Tennessee Valley and the Carolinas, an area of light to moderate snow developed across the northern mountains around daybreak on the 24th. Warmer air gradually overspread the area from the southwest, allowing many areas to change to rain. The exception was along the Blue Ridge, mainly along and east of the continental divide, where a narrow corridor of near-freezing surface temperatures locked in for much of the day. By late afternoon, temperatures warming above the surface forced a transition to sleet and freezing rain in these areas. Ice accumulation of up to one half inch was reported on top of up to an inch of sleet and snow. Pockets of significant tree damage were reported in locations that received the higher ice accumulations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 745980. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.