ASHEVILLE, North Carolina — Heavy snow and damaging winds slammed the northern North Carolina mountains Friday afternoon through early Saturday, snarling travel along United States Route 19 from Madison County through Yancey and Mitchell counties, where 1 to 4 inches of snow piled up with isolated totals of 6 to 8 inches near the Tennessee border.
The National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg kept a Winter Weather Advisory in effect from 1 p.m. Friday through 7 a.m. Saturday for Madison, Yancey, and Mitchell counties, expanding the advisory to include all elevations as wind gusts increased to 60 miles per hour, with up to 65 miles per hour on exposed ridgetops.
Snow intensified through the afternoon and evening, rapidly degrading travel on mountain corridors. United States Route 19 and United States Route 19E turned hazardous near Mars Hill, Burnsville, and Spruce Pine, while higher-elevation routes such as the Blue Ridge Parkway and State Route 80 faced blowing and drifting snow that repeatedly reduced visibility to near zero.
The strongest impacts targeted ridge communities and exposed gaps, where heavy, wind-driven snow weighed down trees and power lines. Officials warned that scattered power outages were possible as gusts flexed snow-loaded limbs overnight. In valleys, rapidly changing conditions made untreated secondary roads difficult to navigate, particularly after sunset.
The combination of strong winds and accumulating snow sharply increased the risk of impassable roads late Friday night, especially near the Tennessee border where snowfall rates briefly intensified. Transportation crews worked to keep primary routes open, but blowing snow limited how long roads could remain clear during peak gusts.
The advisory remains in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday. Winds gradually ease after daybreak, but lingering snow and drifted roads may keep travel hazardous through Saturday morning, with improvement expected later in the day as snowfall tapers and crews regain ground.
