News

Helena dumps 7 inches of snow here; NWS issues windchill warning of -12

By Bill Moss, Published: January 7, 2017

Authorities are reporting few problems so far after winter storm Helena dumped 5 to 7 inches of snow on the Henderson County area overnight Friday.

“We’re holding our own,” said Maj. Frank Stout of the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office. “ People listened to warnings and have abided by them very well. They’ve stayed home and allowed the DOT to go about their jobs and get the roads cleared. “We still have some secondary roads that have not been cleared.”
The National Weather Service reported that 4.8 inches of snow had Asheville Regional Airport up to midnight. Another band of snow came through after that, increasing the totals by a couple of inches in most locations.
“We got between 7 and 7½ inches in Henderson County,” said Scott Krentz, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Snowfall totals in Henderson County included 6.3 inches in East Flat Rock, 4 inches in Mountain Home, 7 inches in Hendersonville, 7 inches in Bat Cave, 6 inches in Etowah and 5.1 inches in Fletcher.
“We’re not expecting anymore,” Krentz said. “What you have now is pretty much it.”
There were no reports of major power outages in Henderson County. Scattered outages affected less than a dozen customers and in most cases just one, according to Duke Energy’s outage map for North Carolina.
“The snow was light enough and there was enough wind to keep it off the trees so the potential for problems has not been great,” Maj. Stout said.
A low pressure system that swept moisture into the region from the Gulf of Mexico met the cold air pushed by an arctic system from the north.
“It was a good combination” for snow, Krentz said. “It was a Gulf snow.”
Even though temperatures were not expected to rise above the mid-20s today, the sun came out by midmorning, melting a remaining layer of snow on roads that had been plowed. A low overnight of 8 degrees, Stout said, would create perfect conditions for hazardous black ice. Anyone venturing out after sunset tonight or early Sunday should beware of that danger.
The National Weather Service also issued a windchill advisory. Lows in the single digits combined with winds of 5-15 mph and gusts up to 35 mph could produce a windchill temperatures as low as -12 degrees, the agency said.

Emergency Management Coordinator Jimmy Brissie said the county had experienced no major problems and had no need to open emergency shelters for people stranded on the highway or because of power outages.

"Most of the secondary roads are still snow-covered," he said. "The DOT is out trying to get roads cleared but it’ll still be pretty hazardous. It’ll definitely be dangerous in the morning. People should stay home and try and enjoy what they can of it."