Citizens brace for next round of snow
By Steve Herring
Published in News on February 25, 2015 1:46 PM
Another 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet are expected to fall on Wayne County tonight through Thursday morning.
Conditions are expected to worsen in the northern part of the county, where 2.5 inches of snow and ice from Tuesday's storm were reported at Pikeville and 2 inches at the Wayne Executive Jetport.
The storm left anywhere from a half inch to 2.5 inches of snow and ice across the county.
County roads for the most part were passable this morning, but icy spots remained and drivers were urged to slow down and exercise caution.
And what progress that was made by Department of Transportation work crews clearing away Tuesday's snow and ice could be erased depending on what happens tonight.
A winter weather advisory remained in effect until noon today for residual snow, ice and black ice on roads that resulted in dangerous driving conditions.
The National Weather Service has also issued a winter weather advisory effective from 6 p.m. today through noon on Thursday.
Problems caused by the Tuesday storm could be compounded by what the Weather Service is calling a significant winter storm that could dump another 2 to 4 inches of snow topped off with a light glaze of freezing drizzle or light freezing rain.
According to the advisory, a moderate to occasionally heavy downfall will spread across the southern Sandhills and southern Coastal Plain this evening.
Most of the precipitation is expected to fall as snow before mixing with or changing over to a cold rain after midnight.
The precipitation should taper to a light freezing rain or freezing drizzle Thursday morning between 10 and 11 a.m.
"The conditions will be worse in the northern part versus the southern part of the county," said Terry Click, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Raleigh.
Rain is expected to start between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. before changing over to snow around midnight and mixing with sleet by early morning.
Some of the snow and ice from Tuesday's storm is expected to melt as today's high climbs to around 41 under mostly sunny skies.
The high temperature Thursday is expected to be around 35, and Friday is expected to be partly sunny with a high near 38.
"One (forecast) says rain. One says snow. I am ready for all rain," said Luther Thompson, DOT maintenance supervisor for Wayne County. "I am ready for sunshine, spring and a day off."
However, Thompson said crews will be out in full force again today and tonight treating "trouble spots" and preparing for the worst by pre-treating the roads with brine and salt.
"Hopefully the sun will come out and heat up," he said. "I think that would help us out the most."
The county's primary roads, four-lanes like U.S. 70, U.S. 117 and Interstate 795, will be treated first along with major two-lane roads like N.C. 581, Thompson said.
One of the problems encountered Tuesday was that conditions kept changing, he said.
Tuesday's storm caught much of North Carolina by surprise. That storm closed schools and businesses and caused icy roads that led to hundreds of collisions. That storm came just days after an ice storm.
Forecasters learned late Monday that the Tuesday storm would be bigger than expected, but Weather Service meteorologist Kathleen Carroll said people were asleep, so the storm hit without a lot of advance warning.
Snowfall ranged from 1-2 inches in the Raleigh and Greensboro areas and up to 6 inches in the foothills and mountains. The next storm could bring another 3 inches to 6 inches across most of the state.