WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. -- The first frost of the season hit the mountains of North Carolina Tuesday morning and, according to folklore, that was just the beginning!

According to local legend, for every foggy morning you have in August, you'll have the same number of snowy days in Winter.

This year, there was 22 foggy days. Last year, there was just 16.

Another folklore is that the 13 sections of "Woolly Worm" represent the 13 weeks of winter.

The color of each section determines what the cooresponding week will be like; the lighter the segment is the more mild that week wil be; and the darker is the snowier. 

The coloring for this year's winner at the 2017 Wolly Worm Festival in Banner Elk was very dark, indicating a cold and snowy winter is on the way!

The first day of Winter is December 21.