Brace for Winter Storm Fern: Asheville Area Declares Emergency, Shelters Open, Safety Tips for Ice Storm

Good morning, this is your Asheville Local Frequency for January 24. Folks, buckle up because Winter Storm Fern is barreling toward us, and Buncombe County has declared a local state of emergency effective yesterday at noon, stretching through Monday evening at 6 p.m. This covers Asheville, Weaverville, Woodfin, Black Mountain, Montreat, and Biltmore Forest, unlocking extra resources for our emergency teams to coordinate with state and federal partners. Governor Josh Stein has a statewide emergency in place too. The National Weather Service warns of an Ice Storm from noon today through Monday afternoon, with half an inch of ice expected countywide and up to an inch southeast, snapping tree limbs, downing power lines, and sparking outages that could last days. Roads will turn treacherous, so officials are crystal clear: stay off them unless absolutely necessary to keep paths open for first responders and plows. To keep everyone safe, Buncombe parks shut down last night at 5 p.m., libraries and parks stay closed today, the landfill and transfer station open just 7 to 11 a.m., and Mountain Mobility halts at noon through Sunday. City parking decks are free since yesterday evening—park off streets now for plow access. NCDOT has salted interstates like I-40, I-26, and I-240, with crews grinding 24/7, but check DriveNC.gov if you must venture out. Shelters kick off at 9 a.m. today: Hearts with Hands at 850 Warren Wilson Road in Swannanoa for meals and warming, Erwin High gym at 60 Lees Creek Road in northwest Buncombe, and Reuter YMCA at 3 Town Square Boulevard southside. Bring clothes, blankets, toiletries, snacks, chargers, prescriptions, and therapy animals only—no pets, but Code Purple expands options for unhoused folks, and Explore Asheville lists pet-friendly hotels with snow rates. Stock food, water, meds for days, avoid driving on ice even with four-wheel drive, and watch for hypothermia if outside. A few spots brave the chill: Life Like Water plays folk-indie at Gingers Revenge at 4 p.m., Asheville Art Museum opens limited 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., and the North Asheville Tailgate Market hosts nonpartisan voter registration 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at UNCA—bundle up if heading there. Wortham Center closes through Monday, rescheduling Great Expectations. The Great RAD Sale starts at 9 a.m. in River Arts District for deals amid the storm prep. Stay tuned to buncombeready.org or AVLAlert, skip sketchy online chatter, and hunker down smart—this ice could reshape our weekend, but were built for it. This has been Asheville Local Frequency. Well see you tomorrow with more local updates. For more http://www.quietplease.ai Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOta This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.