Snow has fallen across much of central North Carolina Wednesday.
A winter weather advisory is in effect for the Triangle, Fayetteville and the Triad until 1 p.m. Thursday. Forecasters expect one to two inches of snow by Wednesday evening. Meanwhile, a winter storm warning is in effect for areas near the Virginia border and northeastern North Carolina, where up to six inches could fall.
Nick Petro is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. He says in addition to snow, a mix of ice, sleet, and freezing rain are also expected Wednesday.
鈥淏ottom line: the message we're trying to convey here is that by late afternoon 鈥� 3 p.m. timeframe into 6 p.m. 鈥� that's when the most substantial, I think, snowfall, slate and freezing rain rates will be,鈥� Petro said.
By Thursday, some areas will see temperatures in the teens.
Re-freezing could also result in black ice and slick travel conditions. Significant ice accumulations were forecast in eastern North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.
430PM: Snow still falling across the region in the north, and we are receiving reports of freezing rain/sleet in the southern coastal plain. send us your snow/ice measurements!
— NWS Raleigh (@NWSRaleigh)
State and local officials worked to prepare for the winter storm. William Ray, North Carolina's emergency mangement director, said that power outages are expected.
"In areas that experience power outages, try texting to reduce that network congestion," Ray advised. "If you lose power at your home, do not use your vehicle to charge devices inside your garage. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless and can be deadly."
Governor Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and says residents should make sure they have everything they need before the storm starts.
鈥淜eep cell phones, mobile devices and spare batteries charged in case you lose power,鈥� Stein said. 鈥淜eep cabinet doors open for pipes located under sinks to stay warm and let your faucets drip to prevent freezing.鈥�
Stein adds the public should avoid traveling, but if you have to be on the road, store an emergency kit in the vehicle. Those include first aid materials, safety equipment like jumper cables, and water.
鈥淲hat we fear the most are road conditions and loss of power due to ice accumulation,鈥� on the social platform X. 鈥淪o folks need to be prepared.鈥�
Attorney General Jeff Jackson says the state's price gouging law is also in effect.
Stein's office also noted that 1.8 million gallons of brine had been spread on the state's roads Tuesday to prepare and pretreat them against the accumulation of snow and ice.
Transportation officials say they are continuing to prep roads and highways across North Carolina for the winter storm. State Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins says there are more than 1,500 crew members working with the department.
"We have more than 133,000 tons of salt on hand ready to treat ice covered roads," Hopkins said. "Our crews will be working around the clock over the coming days and will not stop until roads are clear."
Hopkins says for areas that are impacted by snow, they are prioritizing clearing interstates and then U.S. and N.C. routes, followed by secondary roads.
Dozens of school districts were either closed to students or operated remotely Wednesday in anticipation of the inclement weather, which include snow, ice and sleet in different parts of the state. Among the districts that are canceling classes are Wake County, Johnston County and Alamance-Burlington Schools. Meanwhile, Durham, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, and Orange County Schools as well as Winston-Salem, Forsyth, Harnett and Nash County Schools conducted a remote learning day on Wednesday.
As of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Alamance-Burlington and Johnston County Schools have announced that they will remain closed on Thursday. Durham Public Schools and Orange County Schools will plan to have another remote learning day.
N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill have also canceled classes for Wednesday. However, as of Wednesday morning, the men's basketball game scheduled between the Wolfpack and Tar Heels is still on, set for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Dean Smith Center.
The GoTriangle transit service says it will not operate Wednesday due to expected snow and sleet throughout the area. According to a release, it plans to start services on Thursday at noon until 6 p.m., if road conditions allow.
As of 12:15 p.m. Wednesday, 70 flights had been canceled at RDU, and another 16 had been delayed.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
