Ice Storm — Mcdowell Mountains, North Carolina

2019-01-12 to 2019-01-13 · Mcdowell Mountains, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

Moist air flowing over a wedge of cold air banked against the eastern slopes of the Appalachians resulted in precipitation development across the Blue Ridge and surrounding areas beginning during the evening of the 12th. The atmosphere quickly cooled to or below freezing near the escarpment and out across the lower elevations of the foothills and far northwest Piedmont. This resulted in much of the precipitation falling as freezing rain in these areas. The freezing rain continued through the overnight across the Blue Ridge and surrounding areas before tapering off around daybreak on the 13th. Total ice accretion of one quarter to one half inch was reported, with the heaviest amounts being across the foothills and immediately along the Blue Ridge escarpment. Scattered downed trees and power outages were reported throughout the area.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 804269. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.