Snow, sleet, fierce winds and a freezing drizzle swept across the North Carolina mountains on Saturday, prompting warnings of slippery roads and black ice .
Snow and ice closed scenic Newfound Gap Road (U.S. 441) between Gatlinburg , Tennessee, and Cherokee just before 11:30 a.m. Saturday, rangers in Great Smoky Mountains National Park said. The road reopened just before 1 p.m., with rangers advising drivers to “watch for ice and snow.”
Higher elevations and areas bordering Tennessee were most at risk, National Weather Service meteorologists said in a special weather statement at 6:16 a.m.
“ Snow accumulations will be light, with mostly one-half inch or less on grassy surfaces, except for 1 to 2 inches possible along the higher ridges,” NWS forecasters said. “Any spotty ice accretion will be mainly on elevated surfaces.”
Still, temperatures expected to plummet into the 20s in many areas Saturday morning could produce “ patchy black ice ” on roads, NWS meteorologists warned.