The arrival of a cold front from the west and Hurricane Sandy to the east will give High Country residents their first taste of winter this weekend — and possibly even the first sight of snow flurries.

“It’s going to bring us back to reality,” said Nick Fillo, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg, Va.

After unseasonable temperatures all week, mild temperatures will continue through Saturday before the cold front makes its arrival, Fillo said. As the weekend progresses, expect additional cloud cover and showers moving in, he said.

By Sunday, the cold front will be firmly in place and temperatures are expected to top out in the upper 40s, he said.

Sunday also will bring the start of gusty winds as Hurricane Sandy skirts coastal North Carolina, so more of the changing leaves may be ripped from the trees by early next week.

Shower activity is expected to continue in the mountains into Monday morning before tapering off a bit Tuesday, Fillo said, but the gusty winds are expected to continue.

“It’s possible Monday morning that we might see a couple flakes fly, but as far as accumulation in North Carolina, I’m not expecting it,” Fillo said.

On Tuesday morning, if Sandy behaves as expected, our neighbors in New Jersey or Connecticut will bear the brunt of the storm as it makes landfall, Fillo said.

Although it may not be a hurricane by that time, the storm is expected to be broad and far-reaching — one that residents will likely remember for years to come, he said.

How Hurricane Sandy moves will make a difference even into western North Carolina, but Fillo said it’s fair to expect Watauga County to hit the freezing mark Monday morning or Tuesday morning.

“I know some areas haven’t really gotten any super cold temperatures yet, and some people are actually still in the growing season,” he said. “That’s definitely looking like it’s going to come to an end the early part of next week.”