High Wind in North Carolina, March 6, 2001

Low pressure developed off the mid-Atlantic coast late on the 4th and steadily strengthened as it crept slowly up the coastline. Moisture advected into the region as it began to intensify contributed to light snowfall accumulations in the northern Mountains late on the 4th through early on the 5th. As the storm strengthened even more on the 5th and 6th, colder air filtered into the region and interacted with the tightening pressure gradient and the abundant flow of air off the Atlantic Ocean on the backside of the system to set up a full-fledged blizzard across most of the higher terrain.Winds estimated at over 55 knots were sustained for several hours. One measured report from Flat Top Mountain, in southeast Buncombe County, came in at 60 knots. Widespread power outages were reported from the mountains. There were numerous trees and power lines brought down by the high winds, and these were not confined just to the higher terrain. In Alexander County, for example, two fallen trees downed by the winds also brought down power lines, resulting in widely different outcomes. One sparked a fire while the other fell on a car, fortunately without injuring its occupants.As colder air wrapped around the developing tempest as it meandered off the New England coast, heavy snow blanketed much of extreme western North Carolina. The highest snowfall accumulations were along and near the Tennessee border in Avery County. Newland and Sugar Mountain each received 18 inches of snow, while between 12 and 15 inches were reported at Beech Mountain. However, even some inland locations, such as the higher-elevation foothill town of Jonas Ridge, reported between 8 and 10 inches of snow.