Sleet, freezing rain slow traffic
By Steve Herring
Published in News on January 22, 2016 1:46 PM
Sleet and freezing rain left a glaze of ice on roads this morning, slowing traffic and resulting in sporadic minor wrecks.
But by 8:30 a.m. there had been no reports of any major incidents, said Mel Powers, emergency medical and security director for the Wayne County Office of Emergency Services.
A total daytime sleet accumulation of less than half an inch is possible.
The area remains under a winter weather advisory until 6 p.m. today. Such an advisory means that periods of snow, sleet or freezing rain will cause travel difficulties and that motorists should be prepared for slippery roads and limited visibility.
Wayne County Public Schools, county government offices and the courts are closed today because of the wintry mix that began falling between 4 and 5 a.m.
It will be an optional workday for school staff.
All Saturday activities have been canceled for Wayne County Public Schools. This includes the SAT scheduled at Goldsboro and Southern Wayne high schools, driver's education classes, athletic practices and any other events or activities scheduled to take place on school campuses.
The Southern Wayne High SAT make-up test day will be Feb. 20. The make-up date for Goldsboro will be announced at a later date.
Goldsboro and Mount Olive offices were open.
"It came in a little after 4 a.m.," Powers said. "It came from the south so Mount Olive was impacted first. For us it started a little before 5 a.m."
Powers said the mix is expected to continue until early afternoon before switching over to rain.
A noon conference call was scheduled with the National Weather Service for updates, Powers said.
Essential personnel were on duty today at the county's emergency operations center to monitor the weather.
"I don't feel like we will need a lot of resources, but we have contacted the Red Cross and Salvation Army that will be a warming station for us," Powers said.
Adding to the misery are the 13-to-17-mph winds that could gust as high as 28 mph. Those winds are expected to remain through Saturday.
N.C. Department of Transportation crews that had been pre-treating the roads for two days in advance of the storm were out at 3 a.m. this morning.
Those crews will remain out during the day and through Saturday morning, said Luther Thompson, DOT maintenance supervisor for Wayne County.
The National Weather Service is calling for the wintry mix to switch over to rain later today, and relatively warmer temperatures will help, Thompson said.
The crews are applying either a brine solution or salt depending on the circumstance, he said. The focus this morning has been the four-lane highways and then the primary two-lane roads, he said.
The roads are not "terrible," but they are "treacherous," Thompson said, and motorists appear to be heeding warnings to drive slower.
While the roads may be passable, motorists need to remember that bridges and overpasses are the most dangerous, and should take precautions when they cross one, he said.
Today's high is expected to reach 38 degrees.
Freezing rain and sleet were expected before 1 p.m. with rain before 5 a.m. Saturday. There is a 100 percent chance or precipitation today.
Rain and snow are likely Saturday, becoming all snow after 10 a.m. Little or no accumulation is forecast.
The high will be near 35, but the brisk winds will continue at 13 to 20 mph with gusts as high as 33 mph.
There is a chance of snow, mainly before 10 p.m. Saturday. There will be 13-to-16 mph northwest winds with gusts as high as 36 mph.
Conditions will moderate Sunday with sunny conditions and a high near 41 and winds of 9 to 13 mph.