An updated wind advisory was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 1:57 p.m. in effect until 7 p.m. The advisory is for Northern Jackson, Southern Jackson, Caldwell Mountains, Greater Caldwell, Burke Mountains, Greater Burke, McDowell Mountains, Eastern McDowell, Greater Rutherford, Polk Mountains, Eastern Polk, Oconee Mountains, Pickens Mountains, Greenville Mountains, Greater Oconee, Greater Pickens, Central Greenville, Southern Greenville, Northern Spartanburg and Southern Spartanburg as well as Rabun, Habersham, Stephens, Franklin, Hart, Elbert, Avery, Alexander, Iredell, Davie, Madison, Yancey, Mitchell, Swain, Haywood, Buncombe, Catawba, Rowan, Graham, Macon, Transylvania, Henderson, Cleveland, Lincoln, Gaston, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Union, Cherokee, York, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Chester and Greenwood counties.

The NWS states, “South winds 15 to 20 mph with frequent gusts of 35 to 40 mph. Higher elevations may experience a few gusts up to 50 mph.”

“Gusty winds will blow around unsecured objects. Tree limbs could be blown down and a few power outages may result. Due to saturated soils following Helene, any wind gusts this afternoon may bring down trees which normally could withstand such winds,” explains the NWS. “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.”

Source: The National Weather Service