A strong cold front brought rain and minor flooding to the region Wednesday. Behind the front, the winds will pick up as temperatures fall sharply through the day. The northwest upslope flow will likely lead to a quick burst of snow for the mountains making travel hazardous across the high country. A wind advisory is in effect for Ashe, Avery, Watauga counties and the Burke and Caldwell Mountains until 1 a.m. Thursday. Sustained winds of 15-30 mph with gusts up to 55 mph will be possible. The strongest gusts will peak by early evening with the winds dying down overnight. Weakened trees and limbs may fall leading to power outages and travel may be difficult for high terrain vehicles. In addition to the gusty wind, snow is expected for the higher elevations above 3500 feet, with the highest snowfall for the westward facing slopes near the Tennessee border. Snowfall totals will fall from a dusting to up to 2 inches. Snow showers will be likely from late morning through this afternoon, before tapering off late this evening. Wet roads could quickly turn icy as temperatures fall into the 20s overnight. Wind chills will fall into the single digits and teens overnight into early Thursday morning. A dry, cold air mass will keep temperatures from climbing out of the 30s Thursday afternoon. But, the weather will remain quiet through the start of the weekend. Get the latest forecast and updates from the WCCB WeatherWise team, by downloading the WCCB Weather App.