Western NC to see heavy rain, some wind

On By Littum

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AccuWeather is calling for potential flooding, hail and isolated tornadoes through the weekend, with the Carolinas at risk from the weather.

In all, the AccuWeather Global Weather Center said more than 10 million people will be at risk from a four-day stretch of severe weather expected to sweep through the southern and southeastern United States. But the forecast added that the storms in North Carolina will largely affect eastern areas of the state.

The National Weather Service explained the full potential the front may have on Western NC in an interview with the Citizen Times.

Asheville weekend weather

NWS meteorologist Chris Horne told the Citizen Times that rain is expected to begin Friday, Dec. 27 in Buncombe County. Temperatures will drop as rain increases and becomes more widespread.

“It’s going to be widespread, possibly heavy rain at times, Friday night into Saturday night, and mild air will flow back into the area into Saturday,” he said.

Horne added that this weather will subside at some point during the day on Sunday when NWS website forecasts call for rain mainly before 15. The most severe weather is likely to hit the area between Saturday night and Sunday morning, according to Horne.

“There could be some heavy showers later Friday and Friday night. But I’m not too worried about that. I think the better chances to see some kind of, maybe flood-producing, heavy rainfall is Saturday night , Sunday morning.”

Although gusty winds are a possibility, Horne said the wind threat will be secondary to the effects of the heavy rain.

How many inches of rain does Asheville get?

Horne said Asheville and Buncombe County are expected to see an average of 2-2.5 inches of rain. He added that some specific areas may see slightly higher amounts of rainfall

“There could be some locally heavier amounts where the heavier rain typically accumulates, in the higher elevations of Asheville and then south along the Blue Ridge Parkway,” Horne said.

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The heaviest rain

Outside of Buncombe County, some higher amounts of rain are expected to fall, according to Horne. In particular, he mentioned areas west of Mount Pisgah, Lake Toxaway, south of Brevard, and toward Cashiers and Highlands. This heavier rain can result in flooding.

“There is a possibility to see some flooding along the upper French Broad River,” Horne said. “So we could locally see as much as maybe isolated 5-inch amounts when it’s all said and done.”

Iris Seaton is the trending news reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at [email protected].