An intense upper low was rotating through the mid-Atlantic region during the period. An equally intense surface low and occluded front was located across the eastern Ohio valley. As the low pressure area approached the region from the west early on the 20th, very strong, gusty southeast winds developed across the higher elevations of southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina. As the system moved to the north and east of the region, very strong, gusty northwest winds developed and persisted for an extended period across the western part of the Blacksburg forecast area from late on the afternoon of the 21st through much of the 22nd. However, the strongest winds, with gusts of 50 to 65 mph in southwest Virginia and northwest North Carolina, occurred during the late evening hours of the 20th and continued through the early morning hours of the 22nd. Winds gusts of 40 to 50 mph were common. The strong upslope winds also resulted in a persistent snowfall across the upslope areas of the Alleghanys through southwest West Virginia and the mountains of northwest North Carolina.
Below is a sample of some of the highest wind gusts recorded from several northwest North Carolina counties. If no data is given, the county either did not have winds exceeding 35 mph or did not have a wind reporting station.
Allegheny county (Barrett, 12/22/12, 205 am EST) - 46 mph,|Ashe county (Laurel Spring RAWS, 12/21/12, 1010 pm EST) - 54 mph,| (2 ENE Baldwin, 12/21/12, 1000 pm EST) - 52 mph,|Caswell county (Caswell Game Lands RAWS, 12/22/12, 416 am EST) - 35 mph,|Surry county (4S Low Gap, 12/22/12, 617 am EST) - 40 mph,| (Mount Airy, 12/22/12, 335 am EST) - 40 mph,|Watauga county (TNB AWOS, 12/22/12, 1235 am EST) - 67 mph,| (Foscoe, 12/22/12, 1226 am EST) - 44 mph,|Wilkes county (UKF AWOS, 12/22/12, 335 am EST) - 35 mph.