GATLINBURG, Tenn. – Winter is roaring into the Smokies tonight as a powerful mountain storm takes shape along the Tennessee–North Carolina border. Thick, wind-swept snow is expected to blanket high elevations from Cades Cove to Mount LeConte, transforming the peaks into a deep winter landscape by Monday morning.
According to the National Weather Service in Morristown, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect from 7 p.m. Sunday to 7 a.m. Tuesday for the Blount, Cocke, and Sevier Smoky Mountain counties. Forecasters expect 4 to 8 inches of snow, with locally 10 to 12 inches possible near the highest ridges — especially around Mount LeConte and Newfound Gap. Winds up to 40 mph will add to the hazards, creating near-blizzard conditions at times and making travel extremely dangerous.
Tourists and residents should avoid nonessential travel through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, including U.S. 441 (Newfound Gap Road), where drifting snow could make roads impassable. Power outages are possible as heavy, wet snow weighs down tree limbs, and hikers are advised to postpone backcountry trips.
The snow will taper Tuesday morning, but the cold will linger with wind chills in the teens across the higher ridges. Lower valleys like Gatlinburg and Townsend may see a slushy coating but will feel the sharp wind and deep chill that follows. Another reinforcing cold front later this week could bring a second winter tease before Thanksgiving.
