Outlook for Possible Severe Weather in Macon County on Wednesday, January 30, 2013

**HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK**

A strong cold front will sweep east across western North Carolina on Wednesday. Strong southely winds will develop ahead of the cold front Tuesday night and persist until the frontal passage Wednesday afternoon. These winds could blow down trees and cause power outages...especially at the higher elevations and over the southern mountains, including Macon County. Very heavy rainfall will also be possible with this system...and the potential exists for isolated flooding to develop along streams and rivers Wednesday. In addition...isolated severe thunderstorms will be possible along the cold front Wednesday...mainly over the estreme southern mountains that may include Macon County. Finally, temperatures will fall rapidly behind the cold front Wednesday night with accumulating snow showers expected over the western Mountains near the Tennessee border and at the higher elevations. We may see some snow flurries in Macon County.

And here is the outlook from the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma for Wednesday:

Probability of severe weather within 25 miles of a point. Hatched Area: 10% or greater probability of significant severe within 25 miles of a point.

   SPC AC 280751
   
   DAY 3 CONVECTIVE OUTLOOK  
   NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
   0151 AM CST MON JAN 28 2013
   
   VALID 301200Z - 311200Z
   
   ...THERE IS A SLGT RISK OF SVR TSTMS ACROSS PARTS OF THE GULF COAST
   STATES...MID SOUTH REGION...AND MID/SRN ATLANTIC COAST STATES...
   
   ...SYNOPSIS...
   CONTINUED EWD PROGRESSION OF A LARGE CENTRAL/ERN NOAM TROUGH IS
   FORECAST THIS PERIOD...THOUGH REINFORCEMENT OF THE TROUGH ON ITS WRN
   FRINGE SUGGESTS A BROAD AREA OF CYCLONIC FLOW SHOULD COVER MOST OF
   THE U.S. BY THE END OF THE PERIOD.
   
   AT THE SURFACE...A COLD FRONT INITIALLY EXTENDING FROM ROUGHLY LOWER
   MI SWD TO THE CENTRAL GULF COAST REGION IS FORECAST TO MAKE STEADY
   EWD PROGRESS...MOVING OFF THE MIDDLE ATLANTIC COAST DURING THE
   EVENING AND THEN VACATING THE ENTIRE ERN SEABOARD OVERNIGHT.  PRIOR
   TO MOVING OFFSHORE...THIS FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO FOCUS
   CONVECTION...AND POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE
   CENTRAL AND ERN CONUS.
   
   ...CENTRAL GULF COAST/MID SOUTH REGION EWD TO THE ATLANTIC COAST...
   SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ONGOING TO START THE PERIOD
   NEAR/AHEAD OF THE ADVANCING COLD FRONT...FROM THE MIDWEST SWD TO THE
   MOUTH OF THE MS RIVER.  THIS BAND OF CONVECTION WILL MARCH STEADILY
   EWD ALONG WITH THE CORRESPONDING COLD FRONT...BUT VERY MODEST
   INSTABILITY -- PARTICULARLY FROM THE MID SOUTH/CAROLINAS NWD --
   SHOULD ACT TO HINDER OVERALL SEVERE POTENTIAL.  
   
   HAVING SAID THAT...VERY STRONG FLOW ALOFT WILL EXIST...WHICH WILL
   FAVOR LOCALLY GUSTY/DAMAGING WINDS EVEN IN AREAS WITH LITTLE CAPE --
   AND PERHAPS NO LIGHTNING.  
   
   ATTM...GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS APPEARS TO EXIST FROM
   ERN KY/ERN TN SWD INTO MS/ERN LA/AL/THE FL PANHANDLE AND INTO GA AND
   THE CAROLINAS...WHERE AN ISOLATED TORNADO OR TWO COULD ALSO OCCUR. 
   THE THREAT SHOULD REMAIN GENERALLY W OF THE APPALACHIANS THROUGH
   EARLY AFTERNOON...SPREADING EWD ACROSS THE ATLANTIC COAST STATES
   THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING BEFORE STORMS MOVE
   OFFSHORE.
   
   ..GOSS.. 01/28/2013