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No ice storm but heavy rain triggers flood warning

The threat of an ice storm fizzled when temperatures remained too warm for freezing rain. The heavy rain prompted a flood warning for the Blantyre community along the French Broad River and a flood watch for a wider area.

 

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the French Broad in western Henderson County from Wednesday morning until Thanksving Day morning.

There's a slight chance of a snow and rain mix during the day Wednesday but the threat is not as dire as the ice storm forecast. A few degrees colder could have created the road hazards and snap-crackle-pop of an ice storm overnight Monday.

"The strength of the warm air aloft just overwhelmed the cooling air at the surface," said NWS meteorologist Larry Lee. "We just couldn't quite make it this morning."

That would be a relief for travelers and others as "making it" meant creating the right combination for an ice storm that would snap tree limbs, extinguish power and coat roads. Now we're looking at a day of cold rain as the work week winds down before Thanksgiving Day.

"We're going to see rain pretty much through the day," Lee said. "The roads as far as we know are OK. The temperature right now at the Asheville airport is 34 degrees and that's pretty much representative of the whole area and it's not going to get any colder today."

There is a chance that we could see a mix of rain and snow and possibly a snow shower Wednesday afternoon. "Henderson County doesn't look like it's in line for very much," he said. "Along the Tennessee border counties there could be a bit of accumulation and we actually have a watch out for several inches of snow. In Hendersonville it should be a fairly minor event."

 

The National Weather Service issued an ice storm warning on Monday and said Henderson County could receive up to an ice coating third of an inch. The forecast triggered a two-hour delay for the opening of Henderson County schools this morning. School officals at the central office and the county bus garage said they had heard of no problems at 9 a.m. today. This is the last day of school before the Thanksgiving break.

 

Law enforcement personnel said they had no reports of slick roads, wreck or traffic problems caused by the weather. "Absolutely nothing," a Hendersonville officer said, "and we want to keep it that way."

Duke Power reported no power outages in Henderson County and 105 in Transylvania County. The power company did report almost 2,500 outages in Mecklenburg and Iredell counties.