Snow, Wind and Fire Watch in the Forecast

By Russell Bradley

Published: November 20, 2008

After a nice mild Thursday, things are changing again behind our latest arctic cold front.  Strong winds out of the north during the day Friday will pull in colder air and put a chill in the air.  The highs will be in the mid to upper 40s around the Upstate with highs only in the middle 30s around Western North Carolina.  When you factor in a sustained wind that will be blowing around 20 mph at times, it will feel more like the 20s and 30s through the afternoon. 

The winds will settle down a bit Friday night, but with extremely dry air in place, look for a faster drop in temperatures.  Football fans - bundle up!  Overnight lows will bottom out in the teens and lower 20s by Saturday morning.  High pressure will keep the weather on the sunny side through the weekend but clouds and even a much needed chance of showers will be around for Monday.  This will be a much milder front, serving mainly to dry us out for another couple of days leading into Thanksgiving. 

There is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect until noon Friday for the TN/NC counties.  Snow showers will begin to taper off by the middle of the day, but 1-2 inches could fall before that happens, and some areas east of the mountains in NC could even see a few snow showers.  Be aware that travel will be hazardous through some of the roads leading to TN.

There is a Fire Weather Watch in effect for the Upstate to give everyone a heads up that dry air and dry ground along with fast winds Friday will allow any fires that get started to spread quickly.  Delay burning until the winds subside or your fire department gives you the go-ahead.