saturday. >> darcel: we have live team coverage this evening. kimberly king is following storm preparations in henderson county. and rex hodge is checking where things stand in the western county. >> tammy: but first we go to jason. >> jason: we have certainly refined our forecast. think more snow than ice in this situation. winter storm warnings are still out. they were out yesterday. in fact today they issued a winter storm warning that goes from 7:00 p.m. this evening until 7:00 a.m. on sunday. you're not going to avoid this storm, folks, unless you're far enough south. anything east, anything west, anything north, it'sll impacted. winter storm timeline, here's what you can expect. thursday overnight, icy mix to snow some time over midnight. that will a aumulate on the grass and surfaces. snow and ice will be on the ground by friday morning day break. we'll have heavy snow periods as we go throughout the day friday in to saturday.

it is in missouri spinning right there. that's the main energy with it. we're going to see that energy dive south and east and carve this system out and also drop tremendous snow fall in the area. as this system drops to the coast, we have issues with the freezing rain that could possibly accumulate, too. a lot of that freezing rain is going to go farther to the east. joining me right now is meteorologist zack green. zack, we're talking about significant rain fall. >> zack: they just keep increasing as we get these new model outputs. yesterday we were talking about nine inches or so. now the average model output is actually a foot of snow for western north carolina. 50% chance for mountain locations between 9 inches and 15 inches. a few outliers pushing above that 15 inch mark. we're going to see our

that's going to be increasing the snow chances because we're simply going to have these freezing temperatures. >> jason: it's so interesting to have these temperatures in the 40s today. it's deceiving. temperatures are going to be cold enough to become a freezing mix of snow and ice. >> zack: once we hit that freezing point of 32 degrees for all of western north carolina, that's when we start to see the snow accumulation really popping up. buy that sled, folks, because the accumulation is coming. >> jason: we'll have all the snow fall accumulations in just a bit. we're prepared for the worst of the worst but hoping for the best. >> darcel: governor pat mccrory issues a state of emergency ahead of the storm.

have already been attributed to this weather. >> tammy: our team coverage. news 13's kimberly king joins us live off of i-26. kim, how are crews preparing? >> kim: tammy, there are many crews out tonight and they're also on standby. but i do want to bring up the point that the county manager says he is speaking with officials here in the county and they possibly may declare a state of emergency this evening. that's a developing story. but meanwhile throughout the counties both here and rutherford, crews are out already at work. this is the upclose shot of brine off this big rig, rutherford county's maintenance crew calls a low boy. >> we've got possibly 20 dump trucks.

well. >> kim: blades are already on trucks. trtrks are prepping and loading up. matt taylor says crews have already put down nearly all the brine they have. >> salt brine helps keep that initial precipitation, present precipitation from bondingo the pavement. >> kim: these four tanks are filled with the salt brine. that's water and salt mixed together. it takes 20,000 gallons to pre-treat all the primary roads in rutherford county. over there is yet another tank filled with calcium chloride. the chloride is mixed with salt after the snow starts to melt. for drivers as crews ready for sleet, ice and snow.

loading on to tractors. >> if we get lots of ice, it's going to be big problems. >> kim: tom wooten is hendersonville's director of public works. >> we'll have to put down sand to get some traction. >> we're trying to use all the available platforms we have. >> kim: the emergency director shows us text alerts. rocky charged with making sure the county can handle if people need help. >> we've worked with our shelter team today to make sure we have staffing patterns throughout the weekend. we've also coordinated with the places that we will use as our shelter program ramps up. >> kim: back out here live tonight we have rush hour traffic with a lot of people heading home. but within 24 hours, i-26 here could be covered with snow. we'll be out here to cover it all for you. porting live from henderson county, kimberly king, news 13. >> darcel: news 13's rex hodge

outside the emergency management office. rex, you saw more snow on the ground today. >> rex: yes, snow remains on secondary and smaller roads up here in the mountains. especially where they don't get too much sun. remnants of the first winter blast are still with us even as the second one is on its way. lucas savage had worked late wednesday and was trying to get home to cullowhee along the smoky mountain expressway. he made it to balsam mountain when conditions forced him to stop. >> trying to get home with 50 other people trying to do the same thing. i didn't have a choice so i just had to pull it off in to the ditch. >> rex: snow and ice remain on secondary and private roads on the mountains, forcing school systems like haywood's and jackson's to park their busses. >> i don't know if people understand what it's like to live on a secondary road. you don't know if you're going

>> rex: a day to play with her little cousin but also a time for her to make sure her family is ready for the next winter storm storm. at higher elevations, winter storms expected. >> enjoy the weekend. stay there. stay at home. have those provisions. >> rex: take care of yourself and your pets. >> take care of other family members and neighbors in the area. check on them every now and then. make sure they have those provisions as well. >> rex: rain, sleet, snow and wind will come with this event yielding vulnerabilities. he urges readiness. >> no power. people having alternative power sources for heat. also folks that might be on home oxygen. do they have a spare bottle? >> rex: shooping says his department is ready but hopes

services. shooping says all of his ambulances are outfitted with tire chains just in case they're needed for upcoming events. rex hodge, news 13. >> tammy: now let's turn to our traffic center where jaclyn is checking surface areas. >> darcel: jaclyn, crews are responding to a weather related crash crash crash. >> jaclyn: most of those secondary roads are still icy throughout madison county. an issue in jackson, macon and swain counties right now. remember we have these areas listed for you on wlos.com. there are backups on patton, i-240, merrimon right now. that's a look at your on time traffic report brought to you by

>> tammy: stay with news 13 as we prepare for this winter storm. we will continue to provide updates both on air and online. check wlos.com and our facebook and twitter pages for our latest developments. and when you see snow, send us your pictures to pics@wlos.com. >> darcel: planning your weekend. next, the three big local events already pososoned because of the weather. >> tammy: plus an ask 13 on a suspicious fire. we ask about the latest on the investigation of the old richmond hill inn.

now >> tammy: with an eye on the winter storm, some major local events are being forced to be postponed. >> darcel: the winter warmer beer fest at the u.s.s cellular center was called off this afternoon. it's rescheduled for february 6th. the jackson brown consort tomorrow night has also been postponed. >> tammy: and the chocolate 5 k for isaac dixon has been postponed. >> you may be able to run in the snow but i have, you know, 50 volunteers coming and driving from all around town. and in addition to that, 600 participants. >> tammy: the abby road live

event planners across the mountains say checking their website or facebook pages is the best way to stay updated. >> darcel: power outages are expected. >> tammy: if the lights do go out, officials recommend having a generator. make sure you also have non-perishable food items and water on hand. >> darcel: there are secondary heat sources beyond a wood stove. >> small electrical space heaters that you can plug in directly to the electrical generator if you have one. >> darcel: now if you do use space heater in your home, remember to put it in an open area away from things like drapes. >> tammy: and if you have pets. >> darcel: bring them in.

close to average. we did start at 30. our temperatures tonight get down to freezing or below. the snow and ice will accumulate quickly. we still have 1.7 inches of rain for the month.

track and the in this line of work only the freshest ingredients make the cut it's important to me to know every dish i serve is the best it can be. especially for this food critic. publix bakery scratch made bread we bake it in store every day with pride so you can serve it with some publix. where shopping is a pleasure. now your news 13 skywatch weather. >> jason: well zack and i have

today and the only thing we can see is more snow than less overall. and less ice, that means for western north carolina. so the impact for western north carolina, snow all the way up there. severe threat for that is significant. ice is a moderate threat. we'll have some ice. but a lot of this is going to quickly mix over to snow. the wind is going to crank up. storm threat for the upstate is still pretty high for snow even though they're not going to get as much as we will in the mountains. of course you'll have to think about the impact because the upstate has less equipment to handle it and of course the roads will be very bad. ice, moderate for that threat. and the wind still moderate. too. dangerous to even impossible travel. i know a lot of you think, impossible?

i've got 4 wheel drive. the roads that are so steep. yeah, 4 wheel drive will get you around but some places it will be impossible to get out or up to those locations. if you travel, that means blankets, water, food, cell phone, battery, road flares and let someone know where you're going because if you don't show up, they're going to wonder. here it is, 6:00 a.m. friday, we're already in to the snow. this is going to be from midnight to 6:00 a.m. look at all that blue and dark blue. we're going to have that cold wedge of air in place. we may get a lull in the action in the early afternoon. don't be deceived by it. we're going to keep on cranking that snow out throughout 9 o'clock at night all the way to saturday. north west wind keeping that wind going.

is going to be very common around the mountains, especially buncombe, rutherford, mcdowell and burke counties. yes, you're going to see up to a foot in some places higher up there. and even 18. we'll see a general 8 to 12 inches. in the upstate, 4 to 8 inches down here through oconnee, pickens, cherokee county. you get a stripe here for 1 to 4 inches because there will be a lot of ice south of i-85. temperatures tonight in the 20s and 30s. critical because we will be below freezing when the onset of this moisture really starts to kick in. tomorrow, highs only in the 20s and 30s. do not expect any melting. sunday we'll begin to see more sunshine and 40s for highs. but a significant winter storm. we'll see very cold trend initially before we warm up in

your upstate forecast there's a lot of snow and ice, too, for your friday and saturday. >> darcel: in tonight's ask 13, moving on from a devastating fire.

richmond hill inn and did they >> tammy: a historic mansion that burned to the ground in asheville was once the center piece of a local inn.

happened to what was left of the richmond inn? >> tammy: frank, a lot of people remember that fire. >> frank: absolutely. a lot of folks do remember, including sillvie. he and some friends wanted to know what ever happened to the old richmond inn. news 13 was there in 2009 when a home burned in a fire investigators called arson. it was originally built for a private residents for ambassador. after the fire, the remaining buildings and property went in to foreclosure and sold it in 2010. but who set the home on fire and why has it remained unsolved? >> a fire not by accidental means. the fire remains under investigation for that to determine who caused that fire.

including the fountain remain intact. the cottages remain. open for business but now it's a sanctuary. >> we've been here for the past four years. we took over the property. for the first several years, we were bringing it out of deferred . >> frank: investigators say the owner never collected on an insurance policy because the insurance company went to court arguing the owner was responsible. >> resolved back in 2012 where the insurance company did not have to pay out for the loss. it was determined that there was evidence that possibly the owners were involved. >> frank: in the civil case, the corporation was held responsible. but in the criminal case, not enough evidence was found to name a suspect.

where visitors can learn about holistic lifestyles while in nature. >> mind, body and spirit and nature, being that we're on 54 acres. >> frank: it's a non-profit that offers meditation, yoga and other holistic classes. you can go to wlos.com and click on news links. if you have a question for us, write me at ask13@wlos.com. yes, i got it. >> tammy: mastering math. next in never stop learning, students search fo across america, people like basketball hall of famer dominique wilkins... ...are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes...

for a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. but it didn't get me to my goal. so i asked my doctor about victoza . he said victoza works differently than pills. and comes in a pen. victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. it's taken once a day, any time. victoza is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. it is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes... ...and should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. victoza is not insulin. do not take victoza if you have a personal or family history of medullary thyroid cancer... ...multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to... ...victoza or any of its ingredients. symptoms of a serious allergic reaction...

tell your doctor... ... ...including inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). stop taking victoza ... ...and call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back... ...with or without vomiting. tell your doctor about all the medicines you take... ...and if you have any medical conditions. taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or... ...insulin may cause low blood sugar. the most common side effects are headache, nausea... ...diarrhea, and vomiting. side effects can lead to dehydration... ...which may cause kidney problems. if your pill isn't giving you... ...the control you need... ...ask your doctor about non-insulin victoza .

>> darcel: for some students, fractions are hard to understand. for others, it comes pretty easily. >> tammy: in tonight's never stop learning, we meet a teacher and a volunteer who work very hard to hear those aha moments. >> so what are you finding the common denominator of? >> tammy: kitty hardy is working with each of her students at vance elementary school to make sure they understand their math assignment. 60% of math is fractions. not too long ago, fractions weren't introduced until middle school. now students multiply and divide fractions all at the same time. students tell me it can get confusing. but when it clicks, it's awesome. >> it makes me feel like, yes, i

or surprised. yes, i got it. >> they get the aha moment. one of the best parts because fractions is so difficult, there's pretty much everyone that has an aha moment every single day. >> you're right on it. very good. >> tammy: and helping students get those aha moments is volunteer lisa. she retired from teaching and is now back in the same classroom volunteering where she once taught at vance elementary. and they are certainly happy to have her. >> darcel: that brings back memories. i remember that got it feeling. >> tammy: i never got it. she tried to help me and i was like, that's why i like english. >> darcel: coming up, our winter storm heading our way. >> tammy: news 13 at 5:30 starts now. a good pair of sunglasses.

winter storm.