“Asheville snow blog, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010”

Asheville snow blog, Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010

Posted: 26 Dec 2010 08:50 AM PST

Blog ends - 4 p.m.

Our blog on today's weather conditions is shutting down for the day. Read entries from the day below.

Forecast for Asheville - 3:45 p.m.

The National Weather Service is calling for a low of 18 tonight and a high of 26 Monday, with sustained winds around 20 mph and gusts up to 34 mph.

New snow accumulations of up to an inch and a half are possible Sunday night and Monday. The chance of precipitation is 50 percent.

Snow should taper off late Monday, and a warmup of sorts is expected Tuesday when the high is expected to be 41 under sunny skies.

High wind warning - 3:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning from 6 p.m. today through 6 p.m. Monday for the Asheville area.

Northwest winds of 25-30 mph are expected, with gusts of 50-60 mph.

Road update - 2:15 p.m.

Our photographer John Coutlakis reports main roads in the Asheville area are in decent shape. Interstates are in good shape, and main thoroughfares including Tunnel Road are passable but there are slick spots. Secondary roads and residential roads are still covered in ice and snow.

Water service note - 1:45 p.m.

Tony Kiss reports water is back on along Richmond Avenue in West Asheville.

Leicester snow - 1 p.m.

Reader Greg Brookshire writes, "We have 9 inches in Leicester / Sandy Mush."

Pizza anyone? - 12:50 p.m.

Asheville Pizza & Brewing on Merrimon Avenue is open but there is no pizza buffet.

Roads statewide - 12:30 p.m.

Snow-covered highways are causing wrecks throughout western, central and eastern North Carolina today, prompting the State Highway Patrol to ask motorists to stay put.

"Our troopers are inundated with calls investigating traffic collisions and assisting stranded motorists," said Col. Michael W. Gilchrist, Commander of the Highway Patrol. "For the safety of the public, we ask those who are traveling now to get home as safely as possible and do not attempt to drive further in this weather."

The Patrol reports collisions from the Asheville area, all the way to the coast, with heavy accumulations in some areas and more snow expected to fall through the day as the storm proceeds north. At 12 this afternoon, the Patrol has responded to over 1,110 calls for service statewide, with the majority involving motor vehicle collisions. Troopers across the state are responding to the most critical calls for service first and then working to address less critical calls.

"Although the snow fall will be coming to an end , the real issues will begin in the overnight and early morning period when temperatures begin to drop and the road conditions continue to deteriorate, said Sgt. Jeff Gordon, public information officer. "Roadways on Monday morning will be very treacherous and we strongly ask that the public not venture onto the highways unless absolutely necessary."

Motorists who feel they must travel are asked to exercise extreme caution, lowering speeds and leaving plenty of following distance between themselves and the cars in front of them.

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Hendersonville notes - noon

Here are some updates from Hendersonville:

Snow response update: City of Hendersonville crews have been working around the clock since Christmas Day to get the streets cleared. All roads have been plowed several times, and now salt and sand are being applied. Rising temperatures and road traffic will play a big part in melting the icy mix that still coats road surface. Please be careful driving, or better yet, stay home until temperatures warm and conditions improve.

Trash pickup for Monday: Refuse customers who have regularly scheduled trash pickup on Mondays should expect normal service tomorrow (Monday, 12/27.) In some instances, locations may not be accessible due to road conditions. Crews will make note of these missed locations and return as soon as possible later in the week to collect any missed trash. Thank you for your patience.

Water interruption in West Asheville - 11:15 a.m.

Here's more information on the water problem in the city we reported here earlier. A news release states:

The City of Asheville reports a water interruption for customers in West Asheville along the corridor of Haywood Road to I-240, including Waynesville Avenue, Westwood Avenue and surrounding streets and Patton Avenue from I-240 at Sam's Club to I-40 at McDonalds. All side roads on the north-west side of Patton Avenue including North Louisiana Avenue, Leicester Highway, Deaverview Road, North Bear Creek Road, Old Haywood Road, and Monte Vista Road could be affected with low pressure. All roads in and around these main routes could also experience low pressure.

Crews are currently working to find valves under the snow and ice that has fallen over the last 36 hours. Once valves have been located and the main line break has been isolated, pressure should be restored to most of the service area. A smaller section of Patton Avenue and West Asheville may experience a loss of water while the break is repaired.

The anticipated time of repair is 2:30 a.m. Monday morning. Once the work is complete, the affected area may experience discolored water or air in the lines. Customers are advised to wait until the water is clear before using it.

Affected businesses have been contacted through the city's Code Red alerting system.

For further information please call 251-1122.

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Snow slacking a little - 10:50 a.m.

The snow seems to be slacking off a little in the downtown area but roads are still treacherous. One of our photographers, Margeret Hester, summed up the road conditions like this: Interstates are in pretty good shape, but everything else is slick.

Drop us a line - 10:45 a.m.

Got some interesting weather-related news from WNC on closings, snow totals, or other topics? Send them to news@citizen-times.com.

Have a nice snow picture? Send it to pix@citizen-times.com.

Snowfall totals - 10 a.m.

Snowfall totals in inches in WNC through this morning as reported by Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network:

Asheville 8.5
Fairview 10
Candler 9
Arden 9
Weaverville 7.5
Waynesville 13
Saluda 8.6
Hendersonville 7
Marion 7.5
Robbinsville 5.7
Brevard 7
Hot Springs 9.5
Bakersville 6.5
Linvillle Falls 6.8
Burnsville 5

City report on roads - 9:25 a.m.

This report came to us this morning from the City of Asheville:

Precipitation slowed overnight allowing crews to make progress on primary roads. At this time, most primary roads have been plowed and sanded and work is beginning on secondary roads. Motorists should exercise extreme caution, especially when changing speed or direction for curves, hills and intersections.

Airport problems - 9:15 a.m.

A number of flights at Asheville Regional Airports have been affected by the weather. Here's a list:

Cancelled departing flights:
Delta flight 5228 to Atlanta (6:55 a.m.)
Delta flight 6024 to New York, LGA (1 p.m.)
United flight 6548 to Chicago (6:01 a.m.)
USAirways flight 3756 to Charlotte (7:15 a.m.)

Cancelled arrivals:
Delta flight 5584 from Atlanta (11:12 a.m)
Delta flight 6024 from New York (12:07 p.m.)

Other flights have been delayed. A Delta flight to Atlanta, for example, was scheduled to depart from Asheville at 5:40 a.m. and actually departed at 7:51 a.m.

More on the forecast - 9 a.m.

An additional 1-2 inches of snow are possible in Asheville with a high of only 25, according to the National Weather Service. But much higher amounts are likely in Tennessee border counties.

(4 of 5)

North winds of 15-18 mph with gusts up to 30 mph are expected in Asheville.

Most roads in the area remain hazardous. Interstates are in decent shape but there are many slushy spots. Secondary roads are completely covered in snow and ice.

The Weather Service is calling for a 70 percent chance of snow today and tonight and a 50 percent chance Monday.

More power outages - 8:40 a.m.

The number of power outages in the area has grown a little. Progress Energy reports 194 customers in the Black Mountain area without power. Many smaller outages are reported across WNC by Progress and Duke Energy.

Latest forecast - 8:30 a.m.

A winter storm warning remains in effect for WNC and Upstate South Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. The warning extends through noon today for Asheville and many points south, but it extends through 6 p.m. Monday in Tennessee border counties.

In Asheville, an additional 1-2 inches of accumulation is likely. At higher elevations much more is expected. By the time the system winds down late Monday, up to 2 feet is snow is possible.

Asheville Mall to open today - 8:20 a.m.

An official at Asheville Mall said the mall would open this morning at 10 a.m.

Water out in West Asheville - 8:15 a.m.

A water main break early this morning has resulted in widespread water outages in West Asheville. An Asheville Police Department dispatcher said many customers west of the French Broad River are without water. City officials estimated it could be 6 p.m. today before water is restored.

The ramp from Patton Avenue onto I-240 is closed because of the leak.

A few power outages - 8:05 a.m.

Progress Energy reported about 45 customers without power in the Candler area shortly before 8 a.m. I hope outages aren't going to be a big problem but it wouldn't surprise me. Lots of heavy snow on limbs and the wind is picking up.

Heavy snow - 8 a.m.

Now that it's daylight, we can see heavy snow is falling in the downtown. Don't know why the radar isn't showing much over Asheville. I can assure you it's coming down pretty hard!

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No wreck for now - 7:50 a.m.

N.C. Highway Patrol and Asheville police report no accidents this morning and very little activity overnight. Seems most people are staying off the roads. I saw very few cars on the roads as I was coming in this morning.

Snow still coming down - 7:45 a.m.

As you can see from the radar, there's still a lot of snow falling in WNC so expect roads to stay hazardous in most areas.

Road conditions - 7:30 a.m.

Just a few personal observations from driving in to the office in downtown Asheville from western McDowell County. I-40 is in decent shape, though there is slush in many places particularly in the left lane. I-240 is slushy in both lanes. Side roads are completely covered.

Welcome - 7:15 a.m.

Hello and welcome to our snow blog for today. I'm Citizen-Times reporter Sabian Warren. I'll try to keep you up to date on what's going on weather-wise in the Asheville area and Western North Carolina. I'll be assisted by intrepid reporter Casey Blake during the morning hours until the late crew comes in.

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