North Carolina mountains blanketed with first big snow of season

BEECH MOUNTAIN, N.C. (WNCN) — It’s been a brisk day in Beech Mountain with a low of 17°, a high of 25° and more than just a light dusting of snow hitting the area overnight and into Friday.

Beech Mountain got the heaviest snowfall of the region, amounting to 9″.

Approximately 10 miles away, in Sugar Mountain, a total of 7″ fell overnight, while in Hot Springs and Banner Elk about 3-4′ fell. Farther east, in Asheville and Swannanoa, the snow count was closer to an inch or just above.

According to CBS 17 Chief Meteorologist Wes Hohenstein, this marks the area’s first significant snow of the season, but not the very first as a small amount of snow fell around mid-October.

Many who have visited and certainly those who live there know exactly where Fred’s General Mercantile is. It’s a staple in the community and the picture above shows how the one-stop shop looked on Friday after several inches of snow had fallen.

Another well-known area, just up the road from Fred’s, are the switchbacks along Beech Mountain Parkway. As drivers make their way down in elevation, there are gorgeous overviews of the Blue Ridge Mountains. On Friday, it was a special sight as far as the eye could see.

More snow is forecasted for Beech Mountain on Saturday, but not nearly as much. The Beech Mountain Resort snow report predicts just under an inch will fall throughout the day.

Over in Boone, students enjoyed the day on sled, making their way down a hill on the campus’ Sanford Mall, as you can see some of in the video below.