Strong Cold Front to Race Through; Prompts High Wind Warnings and Wind Advisories

*A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect until 7 AM EST Wednesday for the East Tennessee mountains...and until NOON EST Wednesday for Ashe, Avery, Mitchell, Watauga, and Yancey counties in Western North Carolina.*

*A WIND ADVISORY is in effect until until 7 AM EST for East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia...and until NOON EST for Western North Carolina.*

A strong cold front will blast through the region tonight. Ahead of it, a large area of showers and thundershowers has developed...as well as a line of strong to severe thunderstorms just ahead of the cold front (as of 10 PM, a solid block of severe thunderstorm warnings are in effect for nearly the entire squall line). Rain is already affecting much of the area. Expect the first batch to mainly be light to moderate rain...with embedded gusty winds. What is of real concern is the cold front and associated line of convect. Extremely strong winds are in place above the surface. With the convection in place, expect these winds to mix down to the surface, producing potentially damaging wind gusts. As the cold front passes, temperatures will quickly drop. Temperatures are in the upper 40s to lower 50s area-wide...with lower 40s in the mountains. Expect temperatures to be in the upper 20s to lower 30s by 7 AM...with middle 20s possible in the mountains.

Tomorrow will remain rather windy, with a stiff wind from the northwest at 10-20 MPH, gusting to 35 MPH at times.

To recap, expect light to moderate rain for much of the evening, with thunderstorms likely as the cold front draws closer (I won't rule out for these storms to be considered "severe"...although I don't believe hail will be a major issue, just damaging winds). As the cold front passes, winds will increase, and temperatures will begin a downward spiral...as much as 15 degrees in an hour. Expect a blustery day tomorrow, with highs possibly not getting out of the 30s area-wide.

Have a great night, and stay safe!

1/29/08-10:05 PM