More snow coming to Western NC, Asheville? Arctic air mass effects ‘highly uncertain’

An alert from the National Weather Service warned of a still uncertain combination of wintry weather Jan. 16-21.

The hazardous weather outlook, issued at 4:20 a.m. on Jan. 15 for Western North Carolina, primarily alerted the public to “very gusty northwest winds” expected to develop Thursday, Jan. 16, into Thursday night. A wind advisory may be issued. And according to NWS forecasts, there is a 20%-30% chance of snow in the higher elevations Thursday night, but little to no accumulation is expected.

Still up in the air are the effects of an arctic air mass moving into the area Sunday night, Jan. 19, remaining in place through Tuesday, Jan. 21. Temperatures and wind chill values will be “much below normal,” and the potential for wintry precipitation remains “highly uncertain.”

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Will it snow in NC, Asheville?

NWS Meteorologist Clay Chaney said that rain is expected this weekend, with main concerns revolving around very cold temperatures that will follow the precipitation. As for other effects of the arctic air mass, predictions are less certain.

“We are monitoring model trends for the middle to latter half of next week, and you know, that’s still pretty far away,” Chaney said. “There’s some considerable discrepancy among where the next storm is going to form and track for the middle or the end of next week.”

Despite the uncertainty, Chaney said the NWS is not ruling out the possibility of WNC seeing more snowfall.

“Confidence is pretty low on any specific solution at this point,” Chaney said. “We’re remaining wary of the possibility of snow, maybe from Wednesday or Thursday or Friday of next week.”

Asheville weekly forecast

Before the 100% chance of rain coming on Saturday night and later potential for snow, the Asheville area will see a relatively clear week according to NWS predictions as of Wednesday, Jan. 15.

Wednesday, Jan. 15 – Sunny, with a high near 38 degrees. North northwest wind around 10 mph. Wednesday night will be clear, with a low around 20 degrees. North northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.

Thursday, Jan. 16 – Sunny, with a high near 48 degrees. Light and variable wind becoming northwest 12 to 17 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 31 mph. Thursday night will be partly cloudy, with a low around 24 degrees. North northwest wind 10 to 16 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.

Friday, Jan. 17 – Sunny, with a high near 50 degrees. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm. Friday night will bring a 30% chance of rain, mainly after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31.

Hendersonville weekly forecast

Hendersonville will see similar weather patterns, according to NWS forecasts.

Wednesday, Jan. 15 – Sunny, with a high near 40 degrees. North northwest wind 7 to 10 mph. Wednesday night will be clear, with a low around 21 degrees. Northwest wind 3 to 5 mph.

Thursday, Jan. 16 – Sunny, with a high near 47 degrees. Light west wind becoming northwest 11 to 16 mph in the morning. Winds could gust as high as 32 mph. Thursday night will be mostly clear, with a low around 23 degrees. North northwest wind 9 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.

Friday, Jan. 17 – Sunny, with a high near 47 degrees. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming light and variable. Friday night will bring a 30% chance of rain, mainly after 4 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 30 degrees.

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Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at iseaton@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Will it snow in Western NC, Asheville? See the latest forecast