Snow is predicted for region
By Steve Herring
Published in News on February 9, 2011 1:46 PM
Close to 1,200 tons of salt arrived in Wayne County last week just in time for winter's latest snowy swing at the state, which is predicted to mainly hit the eastern part of the state starting late tonight.
"I hope this is it," said Luther Thompson, state Department of Transportation maintenance supervisor for the county, this morning as crews began applying salt brine to the roads.
Crews will apply the brine solution to the county's primary roads and bridges before moving onto the major secondary roads, Thompson said.
Snow removal equipment will be attached to trucks, and crews will be in early Thursday morning, he said.
Unless the storm track changes, the Goldsboro area should expect less than an inch of snow, while areas to the immediate south and east of the county could see more, said Scott Sharp, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh.
Wayne's heaviest snowfall would be in the southeast area near Seven Springs and north to the LaGrange area.
And what snow does fall should begin melting quickly as Thursday's temperatures are expected to reach 40 degrees or slightly above.
If the storm tracks farther south, the area would receive less snow. If it tracks farther north more snow is expected.
A winter storm warning has been issued for area counties including Lenoir and Duplin. It is possible that a winter weather advisory could be issued later today for Wayne County, Sharp said.
Precipitation is expected to start as rain before changing over to snow after midnight before tapering off between 10 a.m. and noon on Thursday.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather watch for eastern North Carolina from Wednesday night through Thursday morning.
The weather service predicts up to 3 inches in the northeastern corner of the state and along the coast, and as much as 4 inches inland. Heavier totals could accumulate locally in the coastal plain.
A weak low pressure system is forecast to develop off the North Carolina coast Wednesday night and circulate moisture into a cold air mass over the eastern part of the state. The combination will lead to the chance of snow, some of it heavy at times.
Today's skies should be mostly sunny, with a high near 47.
Thursday is expected to be cloudy through mid morning with gradual clearing, with a high near 40. Thursday night's low is expected to drop to around 26.
It should be mostly sunny Friday with a high near 47. Saturday is forecast to be sunny with a high near 52 with temperatures climbing into the 60s by Monday.