Dangerous wind chills of minus 58, gusts of 83 mph felt in North Carolina mountains
Predictions of dangerous minus 30 wind chills in North Carolina’s mountains on Christmas Eve were too conservative, data shows.
The state’s highest peaks are exceeding that expectation by nearly 20 degrees as a dangerous arctic front crosses the Southeast.
At Mount Mitchell — the highest point east of the Mississippi River — the temperature early Saturday, Dec. 24, was minus 21 degrees with wind chills of minus 58. The highest gust on the mountain was 59 mph, reported around 11:43 a.m Friday.
On Grandfather Mountain, two hours to the north, temperatures fell to minus 16 early Saturday with a wind chill of minus 53. The mountain also had some of the state’s highest gusts, with one of 83 mph recorded at 10 am Friday, according to the National Weather Service.
High wind and wind chill warnings are in effect for the mountains through 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 24, and forecasters warn exposure to the wind could result in frostbite “in as little as 10 minutes.”
“Damaging winds will blow down trees and power lines. ... People should avoid being outside in forested areas and around trees and branches,” the National Weather Service says.
“If possible, remain in the lower levels of your home during the windstorm, and avoid windows.”
Forecasters expected wind chills of minus 30 to hit the state’s highest peaks as the cold front passed, but left open the prospect that some areas might see temperatures even lower.
Temperatures fell so fast Friday morning that forecasters warned a “flash freeze” might occur in some areas, where liquid would quickly turn to ice.
Snow accumulations of up to 4 inches are forecast for some areas of the mountains.
Forecasters say the front will result in North Carolina seeing its coldest Christmas Eve since 1983, when some areas saw temperatures of 8 degrees.
This story was originally published December 23, 2022 at 10:20 AM with the headline "Dangerous wind chills of minus 58, gusts of 83 mph felt in North Carolina mountains."