Minus 30 wind chills and 60 mph gusts expected in NC mountains ahead of Christmas

The mountains of North Carolina will become dangerous in coming days as an arctic cold front ushers in gusts of 60 mph and wind chills of minus 30 degrees, forecasters say.

Multiple warnings and advisories have been issued for the mountains, with the National Weather Service warning it will be “the coldest air this area has seen in 4 years, at least.”

The worst of the weather will hit western North Carolina between 1 a.m. Friday, Dec. 23, and 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24.

Nighttime lows of minus 1 to 11 degrees are expected in the mountains and “even colder readings (are) not out of the question across the very highest peaks and ridges,” the National Weather Service predicts. Black ice and up to two inches of snow are also predicted.

“Very cold air and strong winds will combine to generate low wind chills. ... The cold wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 30 minutes,” forecasters say. “If you must venture outdoors, make sure you wear a hat and gloves.”

Temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing again until Monday, Dec. 26.

Lows around Asheville will reach minus 1 degree Friday night, 8 degrees on Christmas Eve and 11 degrees on Christmas, forecasters say.

Holiday weekend highs will be between 19 and 29 degrees for the mountains.

The cold is part of an arctic front that will cross North Carolina early Friday, “resulting in plummeting temperatures and strong, gusty winds.”

The cold will move in as rain is moving out, resulting in brief periods of freezing rain and a “light glaze of ice along the escarpment and higher terrain” on Thursday, Dec. 22, forecasters say.

This story was originally published December 22, 2022 at 7:25 AM with the headline "Minus 30 wind chills and 60 mph gusts expected in NC mountains ahead of Christmas."