News-Argus/Bobby Williams

Goldsboro firefighter Roderick Stevenson works on clearing a coat of ice from his windshield this morning. A thin coat of ice started forming on surfaces around 4 a.m. Right, Joanne Honn makes her trek to work at the Wayne County Courthouse in freezing rain. Many schools and businesses either delayed or shut down today when the slippery weather started making travel on N.C. highways a bit treacherous. The Highway Patrol reported at least 51 accidents in the Raleigh area. Schools were closed for the day in Wake, Durham and Lee counties and Chapel Hill-Carrboro. A quarter inch of snow was reported at 6 a.m. at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Most of the weather related problems on highways were between U.S. 52 in the western Piedmont area of the state and Interstate 95 in the east. The icy mix was expected to turn to rain.