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Welcome to The Weather Corner
with weather data for Fairview and Western North Carolina... plus weather features, photos, and historical data.
Another Winter Storm... Then Much Colder
Brace yourself because another in a seemingly never-ending parade of winter storms is about to descend on Fairview and Western North Carolina. Mixed wintry precipitation — snow, sleet and freezing rain — is likely to begin here late Monday night and then gradually become all snow on Tuesday.
A reliable computer model indicates that snow associated with the storm system should diminish to flurries Tuesday night, but it suggests 4-6 inches of snow is possible by then. That won't be the end of it for elevations above 3,000 feet in Fairview (and WNC) because "mountain snow" associated with the arrival of arctic air will begin late Tuesday night and continue intermittently on Wednesday.
A few inches of additional snow — fluffy mountain snow — are possible in Fairview's higher elevations before all snow finally ends late Wednesday. Total two-day snow accumulations up there could be 10 inches.
A final bit of unpleasant wintry news: Cold air that arrives Tuesday night will persist Wednesday and Thursday. That means snowy, unplowed mountain roads will not experience significant melting during that period.
January Weather Summary:
Cold, Wet, Snowy
By Richard Koeneman, Meterologist
The pattern of harsh winter weather that began in December persisted through January. The month's average temperature was 30.0 degrees, 3.9 degrees below normal and the coldest January in the 11 years of weather records maintained at our Fairview observation site at an elevation of 3,650 feet.
Cold temperatures were especially prevalent during the first ten days of the month, and readings remained continuously below freezing for five consecutive days (January 2-6). Daily low temperatures fell into the single digits on eight nights during the first ten days of the month, and the month's lowest temperature was 4 degrees on Jan. 3 and again on the 9th.
Average snowfall in January is 5.0 inches, but this year January delivered 11.0 inches. Most of that, 7.9 inches, fell in the storm on the 29th and 30th. Unlike most snowstorms that put down much more snow at higher elevations and much less snow in the valleys, that storm blanketed the entire area with at least 7 inches.
Total snow for the season now stands at 25.6 inches, and the prospect of another significant snowstorm looms just ahead.
Weather Myths: Now Available In The App Store
 Automated Graphic Design (AuGrDe) of Oak Park, Illinois, has just released its latest iPhone/iPod Touch app: Weather Myths.
The first of its kind in the App Store, Weather Myths delivers a fun and easy way to get the facts behind more than 20 popular weather-related myths. Does it really rain more on weekends? Can it ever be too cold to snow? This app reveals the truth behind all those misconceptions, with expert debunking from veteran meteorologist Richard Koeneman, whose experience includes more than 20 years with the National Weather Service. Koeneman is a meteorologist for WGN-TV, a frequent contributor to the Chicago Tribune weather page, and a contributor to TheWeatherCorner.com.
The app is now available for $0.99 at Apple's App Store. Weather Myths can run on any iPhone or iPod Touch running the 3.0 or later OS.
Daily Statistics, February 2010
(Below are the daily postings of weather statistics recorded at our Chestnut reporting station, elevation 3650, Fairview NC)
| Date |
High |
Low |
Precip |
Snow |
| 1 |
45 |
28 |
0 |
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| 2 |
43 |
21 |
0.57 |
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| 3 |
41 |
27 |
0.02 |
0.3 |
| 4 |
34 |
28 |
0.15 |
1.6 |
| 5 |
34 |
28 |
1.56 |
0.6 |
| 6 |
33 |
25 |
0.25 |
2.2 |
| 7 |
31 |
24 |
Trace |
Trace |
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Daily Statistics, January 2010
(Below are the daily postings of weather statistics recorded at our Chestnut reporting station, elevation 3650, Fairview NC)
| Date |
High |
Low |
Precip |
Snow |
| 1 |
36 |
17 |
0 |
|
| 2 |
22 |
6 |
0.13 |
1.0 |
| 3 |
19 |
4 |
Trace |
Trace |
| 4 |
22 |
5 |
.01 |
0.5 |
| 5 |
23 |
8 |
.02 |
0.6 |
| 6 |
29 |
9 |
Trace |
Trace |
| 7 |
37 |
15 |
Trace |
Trace |
| 8 |
27 |
4 |
0.01 |
0.3 |
| 9 |
24 |
4 |
0 |
|
| 10 |
24 |
8 |
0 |
|
| 11 |
33 |
16 |
Trace |
Trace |
| 12 |
26 |
14 |
0.01 |
0.3 |
| 13 |
45 |
15 |
0 |
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| 14 |
56 |
31 |
0 |
|
| 15 |
56 |
33 |
0 |
|
| 16 |
56 |
36 |
0.06 |
|
| 17 |
46 |
40 |
1.98 |
|
| 18 |
56 |
37 |
0.12 |
|
| 19 |
57 |
36 |
0 |
|
| 20 |
53 |
42 |
0.07 |
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| 21 |
47 |
31 |
0.29 |
|
| 22 |
46 |
32 |
0.02 |
|
| 23 |
38 |
31 |
Trace |
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| 24 |
54 |
32 |
3.37 |
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| 25 |
53 |
25 |
0.02 |
0.4 |
| 26 |
31 |
20 |
Trace |
Trace |
| 27 |
38 |
19 |
0 |
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| 28 |
53 |
28 |
0 |
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| 29 |
33 |
24 |
0.91 |
7.1 |
| 30 |
28 |
22 |
0.22 |
0.8 |
| 31 |
34 |
16 |
Trace |
Trace |
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