Shelter capacities have expanded and many mountain school systems have closed as winter weather affects Western North Carolina this morning, Nov. 22.
Though the chance of accumulation - and even the chance of snowfall - was low for Asheville all week, the area was one of many that saw flurries early this morning.
Here's what the National Weather Service is saying about the flurries, as well as this weekend's weather.
When did the snow start in Asheville?
NWS Meteorologist Steve Wilkinson said that flurries have been so spotty in the Asheville area that it's difficult to say exactly when the snow started.
"According to the airport, there were some flurries starting around midnight or so," Wilkinson said. "I know there was snow starting north of there in the higher mountains late yesterday afternoon, so it's possible that some parts of Asheville had flurries prior to the airport."
Is it still snowing in North Carolina?
Similarly, Wilkinson said that with flurries so spotty, it's difficult to say exactly when they will start or stop. What he could say was that the snow won't be long-lived, and certainly won't increase in intensity.
"Certainly could see a few flurries, but not anything significant in Asheville specifically."
Wolf Laurel and other higher elevations may see continuing snow, but accumulation of snow in Asheville will be slim to none. As of 11 a.m., only potential flurries were expected in WNC. One spot on NWS radar indicated potential further snow on the Tennessee border, but nothing heavy.
"There's just a faint little band or two that's really light, but probably not even accumulating," Wilkinson said.
Western NC hazardous weather outlook
A hazardous weather outlook was issued by the NWS at 6:40 a.m. this morning for the following counties:
The outlook called for wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph in lower elevations, with 40 to 45 mph at higher elevations of the French Broad Valley and the eastern Blue Ridge Escarpment this afternoon, Nov. 22, through Friday night. Winds of this speed could blow around loose outdoor objects and have the potential to bring down weakened tree limbs or partially uprooted trees.
Which areas got the most snow?
Unlike Asheville, several areas of WNC saw heavier snow and inches of accumulation. Areas mentioned by NWS officials included:
Wilkinson added that the highest report the NWS had on file was roughly 9 inches in the Beech Mountain area.
What will the weather be like this weekend?
Weather in Asheville this weekend according to the NWS forecast will essentially be opposite to what the area saw this morning and Thursday night.
Saturday's high temperature is near 51 degrees, with mostly cloudy weather becoming sunny throughout the day and a windy night with a low of around 29 degrees. Sunday, the high will be near 63 degrees and weather will be sunny, the night will be mostly clear with a low around 35 degrees.
Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at [email protected].