Alexander County Schools to have two-hour delay Tuesday, Sept. 12

The administrators of Alexander County Schools have set a two-hour delay for students and teachers on Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2017. This is being done due to the remnants of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irma, which are passing through the region Sept. 11-12, and will bring heavy rains and possible high winds.

Dr. Bill Griffin, Executive Director of Auxiliary Services for the school system, noted that officials wanted to wait until drivers (bus drivers, parents, and student drivers alike) had full daylight in the morning before putting people out on the roadways following the storm’s wind and rain. (Image from National Weather Service – National Hurricane Center.)

WIND ADVISORY ISSUED

According to the National Weather Service, A Wind Advisory has been issued for Alexander and surrounding counties, including Avery, Iredell, Davie, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Swain, Haywood, Buncombe, Catawba, Rowan, Graham, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Caldwell, Burke, McDowell, York, and Chester counties. A strong pressure gradient between Tropical Cyclone Irma to our southwest and high pressure to our northeast will create increasingly strong winds and wind gusts this evening into the early overnight hours.

WIND ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 4 AM EDT TUESDAY.

* HAZARDS: Strong winds will combine with increasingly saturated soils to bring down some trees and possibly power lines. In addition to the wind hazards, locally excessive rainfall and
isolated tornadoes will be possible, especially Monday evening.

* TIMING: Winds will become strong by Monday afternoon. The strong winds will continue into the evening.

* WINDS: Northeast 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 40 mph.

* IMPACTS: Strong winds may blow down limbs, trees, and power lines. Scattered power outages are expected.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS:

A Wind Advisory means that winds of 35 mph are expected. Winds this strong can make driving difficult, especially for high profile vehicles. Use extra caution.

Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your favorite source of weather information for the latest updates. Additional details can be found at www.weather.gov/gsp.