The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for more than a dozen mountain counties in North Carolina that will last until 6 a.m. Monday.

Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Caldwell, Haywood, Madison, northern parts of Jackson, McDowell, Mitchell, Surry, Swain, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties are all under a winter storm warning. The warning is also in effect for the Burke and Caldwell mountains.

A winter weather advisory has been added for more than 30 counties, including Catawba, eastern parts of McDowell, Burke, Iredell and Rowan counties in the WSOC-TV viewing area. A 1-inch accumulation of snow is possible in those areas. 

So far, snow has been reported in Boone. The NWS said in a special weather statement that heavy snow could occur in storm bands near the North Carolina/Virginia state line, but notable accumulation would be contained to areas above 3,000 feet. Below that zone, most areas will likely only see a light dusting on grassy areas, the NWS said. 

SLIDESHOW: Snow, sleet coming down in Blowing Rock

For travelers, the hazard will be slush and ice forming on bridges and overpasses near the Blue Ridge mountains. 

On Highway 321 heading into Blowing Rock, a dense fog is mixing with the snowfall and sleet to make driving conditions dangerous. At noon, there was not a lot of accumulation on the roads, but people visiting the area said they were looking to move back to lower ground before conditions worsened. 

Salt trucks are covering Highway 321, trying to stay ahead of the storm.

The good news for those drivers and the residents of Ashe and Watauga counties, said Meteorologist Katie Virtue, was a break in the precipitation. The rain/snow mix has stopped falling, but there are more bands of rain and winter weather moving in. 

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Forecast models show snow accumulation up to 8 inches with the heaviest snow along the eastern side of the Blue Ridge mountains.

According to the NWS, a band of rain moving east will gradually change over to sleet and then wet snow during the late morning hours Sunday. The snow is expected to last into Sunday evening before tapering off in the overnight hours, forecasters said.

The latest forecast from the NWS shows rain beginning to blossom across middle Tennessee. Forecasters said temperatures would be the primary determining factor in how much snow falls and pointed to temperatures in the 40s as well as dynamic cooling, making an accumulation forecast for most areas difficult.

Higher elevations could deal with slick, icy roads Sunday afternoon and evening, as well as spotty power outages due to downed trees and power lines.

Winds are expected to pick up through Sunday morning with gusts up to 25 mph.

To report a power outage or downed tree to Duke Energy, call 1-800-769-3766. To report an outage to Progress Energy, call 1-800-419-6356.

In the Charlotte metro area, rain moved in early Sunday morning and is expected to continue throughout the day. Some areas south of the Queen City could see as much as an inch of rain.

As temperatures fall Sunday night, some snowflakes could mix with the rain, but accumulation is not expected.

Department of Transportation officials said crews had not salted Charlotte's highways because the rain would likely wash it away before any snow started to fall around the city. However, crews are on standby, officials said.

Monday, the clouds will move out and abundant sunshine will push temperatures into the low 50s. 

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