Gusts topping 75 mph - Winter storm to intensify Saturday

An intense winter storm is making its way across the Southeast today. While the stronger snow and wind impacts will be limited to the Carolinas, we could see snow showers make it as far south as Jacksonville, Fla., from this storm.

This morning, the WeatherRadar shows snow falling from the Smokey Mountain foothills through Atlanta and all the way to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. A frigid air mass in place across much of the eastern U.S. for the last week has set the stage for accumulating snow, with most high temperatures making it into the 20 and low 30s across the Southeast Saturday.

While a large accumulation of snow - some spots seeing up to 10 inches - across the Carolinas and Southeast is not unusual when we get cold air reaching this far, it is not an often occurrence. But the snow falling along the beaches isn't the only part of the story.

As this storm intensifies off of the Southeast Coast, winds gusts greater than 40 mph will be kicking up, especially from Virginia Beach and the southern points of the Delmarva down to Carolina Beach, N.C. The Outer Banks will receive the most damaging gusts, some topping 75 mph, especially around Buxton, N.C. This is on top of sustained winds greater than 50 mph.

With cold air in place all the way down to the Sunshine State, the WeatherRadar shows snow is possible in the Jacksonville Metro as this storm shifts eastward Saturday evening.