Weather Briefing for Wednesday, February 17, 2021 Winter Storm Warning Tonight Above 3500 Feet

OUTLOOK

Dry high pressure will be nudged into the Northeastern United States tonight into Thursday night as a low pressure system in the Gulf of Mexico tracks into the Southeast. This pattern will bring widespread precipitation to the area into Friday and wintry weather to parts of western North Carolina later tonight and Thursday. High pressure returns for the weekend leading to cool and dry conditions.

—BEGIN SPONSOR SEGMENT—

Weather Sponsor

Adams Products, a Division of Oldcastle is underwriting the daily weather briefing & public safety updates for the month.

Open 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM, M-F, located at 895 Hickory Knoll Road, Franklin, NC. Visit our Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Adams.Oldcastle.Franklin.NC

All your masonry needs are available. Our phone number is 828.524.8545, the public is welcome, we’ll help you with your next project.

— END SPONSOR SEGMENT—

News Highlights

National Weather Map for Today

General forecast through Friday Night

Franklin area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.

Wednesday Night

A chance of snow before 9pm, then rain. Low in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow accumulation expected.

Thursday

Rain. Highs in the mid-to-upper 40s. Light and variable winds. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three-quarters of an inch possible.

Thursday Night

Rain likely before 8pm, then showers likely, mainly between 8pm and 1am. Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Light winds out of the northwest. Chance of precipitation is 60%.

Friday

Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the upper teens.

Highlands area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the upper 30s. Winds out of the south wind 5 to 10mph.

Tonight

Freezing rain before 3am, then rain or freezing rain. Lows around 30. Winds out of the east 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New ice accumulation of 0.1 to 0.3 of an inch possible.

Thursday

Rain. Highs near 401. Winds out of the southeast around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday Night

Rain likely before 4am, then a chance of rain or freezing rain. Mostly cloudy, with lows around 30. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. Little or no ice accumulation expected.

Friday

A slight chance of freezing rain and sleet before 7am, then a slight chance of sleet between 7am and 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-to-upper 30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows in the upper teens.

Otto area

Today

Mostly sunny, with highs in the mid-40s46. Calm winds early increasing to come out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph in the morning.

Tonight

Rain, mainly after 9pm. Lows in the mid-30s. Winds out of the southeast 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday

Rain. Highs in the mid-40s. Winds out of the southeast 3 to 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday Night

Rain likely, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Calm winds increasing to come out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday

A 20 percent chance of rain before 9am. Mostly sunny, with highs in the low-to-mid 40s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday Night

Mostly clear, with lows around 20.

Nantahala area

Today

Increasing clouds, with highs in the upper 40s. Calm winds in the morning increasing to come out of the south around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight

A chance of snow and sleet before 10pm, then a chance of sleet, then rain after 11pm. Lows around freezing. Winds out of the southeast around 5mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Little or no snow and sleet accumulation expected.

Thursday

Rain. Highs in the mmid-40s. Light and variable winds. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between three-quarters and one inch possible.

Thursday Night

Rain likely, mainly before 8pm. Mostly cloudy, with lows around freezing. Calm winds increasing to come out of the northwest around 5 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Friday

A chance of snow and sleet before 7am, then a slight chance of snow between 7am and noon. Partly sunny, with highs in the mid-30s. Winds out of the northwest 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

Friday Night

Partly cloudy, with lows around 20.

HAZARDS

Macon County is under a Winter Storm Warning above 3500 feet for a potential mixed wintry precipitation event that could drop as much as a couple of tenths of an inch of ice in the region, so keep this in mind if you plan on traveling through the higher elevations or outside of Macon County.

Macon Media is under the opinion this will be mostly a rain event for most of the county, except for the higher elevations and on the Highlands Plateau, where this could be a significant icing event(see the above map, and click on it to embiggen it to a larger size). Minor flooding, power outages caused by falling limbs and trees, and accidents caused by motorists who drive too fast for conditions will be our main concern in the rest of the county.

Macon County will also receive a lot of rain during this period, so some local flooding is possible. A copy of the Winter Storm Warning is posted below so you can read it for yourself.

Winter Storm Warning
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
415 AM EST Wed Feb 17 2021

…WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST THURSDAY ABOVE 3500 FEET…
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM EST THURSDAY BELOW 3500 FEET…

* WHAT…For the Winter Storm Warning, heavy mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations of around three tenths of an inch. For the Winter Weather Advisory, mixed precipitation expected. Total snow accumulations of up to one inch and ice accumulations up to about two tenths of an inch.

* WHERE…Swain, Graham, Northern Jackson, Macon and Southern Jackson Counties.

* WHEN…From 7 PM this evening to 7 PM EST Thursday.

* IMPACTS…Power outages and tree damage are likely due to the ice. Travel could be very difficult. The hazardous conditions will likely impact the morning and evening commutes.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet, and ice are expected or occurring. This will make travel very hazardous. Only travel in an emergency. If you must travel, keep a flashlight, food, and water in your vehicle in case of an emergency. Prepare for possible power outages.

A Winter Weather Advisory means that periods of snow, sleet, or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties. Be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.

Please report snow and ice accumulations by calling the National Weather Service toll free at…1…800…2 6 7…8 1 0 1. Leave a message with your observation and the specific location where it occurred. You can also post your report to National Weather Service Greenville Spartanburg Facebook or tweet your report using hashtag nwsgsp.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite source of weather information for the latest updates. Additional details can be found at www.weather.gov/gsp. The latest state road conditions can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.

Air Quality

Air quality is in the upper range of green for most of the county, including the ridges and other higher elevations today.

Pollen

Pollen levels are expected to be low-medium (4.7 out of 12) with Juniper, Elm, and Alder being the main culprits. Tomorrow is expected to be much lower (0.7 out of 12).

Weather Extremes for Macon County on February 17th

Highest Temperature 74°F in Highlands in 1927
Lowest Temperature -9°F in Highlands in in 1958
Greatest One-Day Rain 2.83 inches at the Coweeta Experimental Station in 1995
Greatest One-Day Snowfall 3.0 inches in Highlands in 1896