Tranquil Weather; Peace and Quiet Across The Foothills

Good evening, folks; it’s Chief Meteorologist Chris White with your nightly forecast update. I apologize for not posting a blog yesterday; I was short on time. Please let me know if anyone knows how to extend a 24-hour day. We are experiencing a chilly Monday night across the Western Carolinas, and it’s looking like a winter wonderland in the mountains tonight. A snow squall has just passed, producing snow showers in parts of McDowell, Caldwell, and Burke Counties. As of 7:30 pm, the temperatures are above freezing outside the mountains, but they are expected to drop below freezing by midnight. Although there won’t be as much snow shower activity tonight, a few more rounds are still possible in the mountains, with the chance for a blowing snow flurry in our area. However, high pressure will build back into our region, and the snow showers across the mountains will end by Tuesday morning. As we head towards the holiday weekend, the temperatures will become milder. Unfortunately, the weather pattern will become unsettled again around Christmas Day.

A northern jet and associated trough are moving through the area tonight, causing a spill of cold air across the mountains and foothills. Temperatures are expected to drop to the upper 10s in higher elevations and to the low to mid-20s in the foothills. A heavy burst of snow has already passed through the mountains, creating visibility issues. The precipitation has now moved towards Central North Carolina, producing light sprinkles. A few more rounds of low-level moisture are visible on radar to the Northwest of the Blue Ridge. However, only a few inches of snow are expected on the western slopes. It is unlikely that any additional snow showers will break containment of the mountains, but there may be a few flurries in your neighborhood late tonight due to the wind.

The Nor’Easter that affected our area yesterday has now moved away towards New England. However, we can still expect some gusty winds in our area due to the intense pressure gradient between the low pressure and the prominent ridge over the Central United States. That gradient will create a northwesterly flow of cold air that will continue to move into our region tonight and Tuesday from the Northwest. The winds are expected to gust between 20-30mph tonight, leading to a wind chill around 10 degrees in the foothills by morning. Although the wind will start to calm down on Tuesday, there may still be a few isolated wind gusts above 20 mph.

High pressure is expected to build up in the area on Wednesday, leading to temperatures rising to the 50s. We might even see temperatures in the low to mid-60s by Thursday. However, overnight low temperatures will likely drop to the low and mid-30s on Wednesday and Thursday nights.

The global models show a change in weather patterns, indicating that Christmas could be damp. By the weekend, a trough will develop across the southwest, pushing the current west coast ridge eastward. On Christmas Day, a cold front will approach the area, bringing a chance of showers. It’s too early to predict with certainty, but it doesn’t seem likely that Christmas Day will be a total washout. The weekend looks to have partly cloudy skies with temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. Unfortunately, the chances of having a White Christmas in Western North Carolina look bleak.

We will monitor the weather pattern expected to develop next week after Christmas Day. There might be a few rounds of precipitation, but it’s too early to give specifics in the forecast. If high pressure develops over the northeast in time, we might see some winter weather. However, we cannot say for sure now and will have to wait and see.

Have a great Tuesday, and stay well!

Above: Modeled weather pattern for Christmas Day!