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Watauga County Issued Winter Storm Warning as Wintry Precipitation is Expected Wednesday

By Harley Nefe

Residents across the High Country will be waking up to slick surfaces tomorrow morning, and the hazardous conditions could impact traveling, as local areas will be seeing a variety of types of precipitation beginning before sunrise Wednesday.

The National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Virginia, issued a winter storm warning that remains in effect for Watauga County until Dec. 17 at 12 a.m. 

According to the winter storm warning, a complex low pressure system will bring a wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain across portions of the Mid Atlantic on Dec. 16. Temperatures will be at or below freezing early in the morning due to the cold air trapped against the Blue Ridge. Meanwhile, warmer air aloft will advance northward overtop of the cold air to bring the wintry mixed precipitation.

According to Boone’s latest weather forecast from Ray’s Weather Center, moisture will overspread the cold air beginning as freezing rain and some sleet in the predawn hours Wednesday. Ice accumulations in the morning are expected to be in the  0.10″-.30″ range. Freezing rain will continue in the morning and transition to rain in the afternoon before turning to flurries and snow showers Wednesday night. Scattered snow showers and flurries are expected to continue into Thursday.

The high temperature tomorrow is forecasted to be 35 degrees with a low of 28. Looking ahead into the week, the temperatures look like they are going to hover around the same chilly range, with skies being mostly clear on Friday. By this upcoming weekend, temperatures will increase slightly to a high of 41 degrees.