The season's first snow started flying Friday morning in the North Carolina mountains, and for anyone in the Upstate chasing a quick glimpse of it, there's a spot that rarely disappoints: the rest area on I-40 right at the Tennessee–North Carolina state line. It sits roughly 92 miles from Greenville, putting it about an hour and 35 minutes away by car, as reported by WYFF News 4.
WYFF News 4 chief meteorologist Chris Justus, who recommended the rest stop as a destination, called it one of the most dependable places in North Carolina to catch snow when conditions line up the way they did this week, according to WYFF. He noted that I-40 itself is typically in good enough shape that he takes his own kids up there to see it. Still, Justus said travelers should keep an eye out for bridges and overpasses icing over as temperatures drop overnight and into the early morning.
Higher Peaks Could See Several Inches
Up in the high country, the station reported that 3 to 5 inches of snow was possible above 3,500 feet. Getting to some of the taller peaks won't be easy, though — the report noted that secondary roads leading to spots like Mount Pisgah and Mount Mitchell can turn rough once the snow starts sticking.
Closer to the Smokies, the outlet reported that Gatlinburg was expecting snow Friday and Friday night before things taper off through the day Saturday, with the surrounding mountain peaks likely to end up blanketed in white. That timeline matches what easttnweather.com described separately: snow continuing to fall in the Smokies, with a winter weather advisory that had been extended until 1 p.m. Saturday. The same report said Highway 441 over the Smokies was officially closed by the Park Service at the time it was published.
Road Closures Already in Place
That closure tracks with plans the National Park Service had already set in motion. According to Knox News, Great Smoky Mountains National Park intended to close U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road between Gatlinburg and Cherokee at 6 p.m. Thursday because of the incoming winter weather. That outlet reported a winter weather advisory for elevations above 3,000 feet running from Friday through 1 p.m. Saturday, with up to 4 inches of snow possible at the higher elevations, and warned the hazardous conditions would affect Friday's evening commute.
For those willing to drive a bit farther, North Carolina's ski country is about two hours from the Upstate. Beech and Sugar Mountains could see roughly a half inch to an inch of snow Friday night and into Saturday, per a report from WYFF News 4.
A Cold Weekend Ahead, With Hints of More Snow to Come
Beyond the mountains, the first widespread frost and freeze of the season outside the high country was considered likely over the weekend, per the same WYFF report. That's roughly on schedule — the average date for the first frost and freeze outside the mountains is November 8, and the first mountain snow typically shows up around the same time, as noted by WYFF News 4.
Don't expect this to be the big show, though. November typically accounts for only about 2% of the region's yearly snowfall, with most of the season's totals usually piling up in the back half of January and the first half of February, WYFF News 4 reported. Still, Justus said he expects above-average snowfall this year across a broad stretch running from the Mid-Atlantic through the Carolinas and into Georgia.
This week's system isn't the first time the NC-TN state line has drawn a serious winter weather warning this year. Back in February, the National Weather Service issued winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories for several mountain counties along the Tennessee border, according to 828 News Now. During that event, Justus warned that travel above 3,500 feet along the state line would be especially dangerous, and Avery County's Winter Storm Warning at the time called for up to 8 inches of additional snow with wind chills as low as 5 degrees below zero. Forecasters said the highest peaks of the Smokies could pick up a foot or more of snow during that February storm.
Separately, CBS 17 reported that this week's system was expected to bring the season's first significant snowfall from Thursday into early Saturday, with up to 3 inches possible in the western mountains and more than 4 inches in much of Swain and southwestern Haywood County. That outlet said the National Weather Service expected the highest totals in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the coldest night likely Saturday night as temperatures dropped into the very low 30s and 20s — conditions forecasters said made the season's first hard freeze increasingly likely heading into Sunday morning.
