Snowpocalypse or not? Forecast varies for Asheville snowstorm this week

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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The next winter Storm of the Century is coming. Or not. Forecasts for this week’s winter storm leave meteorologists a lot of wiggle room right now.

Jason Boyers, the chief meteorologist for WLOS, says “confidence is high that WNC will see the most significant winter storm, not only of the season, but in years.” That certainly makes the storm sound pretty ominous. But when you consider the context – that Western North Carolina hasn’t seen more than a couple of inches of snow in one storm since the record-breaking 2010 storm that dumped a foot of snow on Asheville on Christmas Day – then he’s right. But winter storms are good for ratings (is it still February sweeps?)

Boyer also adds plenty of caveats, noting that prediction models vary from calling for 8 to 10 inches in the higher elevations, to 4 to 6 inches. He also says the totals are likely going to change, “possibly significantly,” over the next two days.

Now consider the forecast prediction that Ray Russell of Ray’s Weather has posted today. He doesn’t post any possible snow totals, and states plainly that the path of the storm will determine the amount of snow Western North Carolina sees, a path that is still uncertain. “Either track will bring snow, or a rain/snow mix Wednesday, but snow amounts weigh heavily on factors that cannot be nailed down just yet. Buckle up and enjoy the ride!”

So, do you go for the worst case scenario and scare the crap out of everybody today, or take a wait-and-see approach?