Wake, Durham, Johnston schools delay as roads remain slippery

Snow, sleet and rain made for messy conditions across North Carolina on Monday, but meteorologists said warm road conditions should prevent the bulk of it from sticking around.

The heaviest snow fell in counties to the north of the Triangle, with 4 inches of snow reported in parts of Person County and 3.5 inches reported in Roxboro. About 1 inch of snow was reported in Wake Forest while Raleigh saw about half an inch.

Closings & Delays

With ground temperatures in the mid-40s, WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said that any snow that stuck to roadways Monday evening should begin melting from below once the precipitation stops. As temperatures drop overnight, refreezing could cause black ice, especially on bridges.

“It does look like everyone will get below freezing overnight tonight, so we do have the threat of black ice tomorrow,” WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth said.

Several minor accidents were reported during the Monday evening commute as roads became coated in snow and slush during the height of the storm.

"I was coming down [U.S. Highway] 64 and people were hitting the ditch, hitting the woods and...they need to slow it down and be safe because it is some tricky weather, it really is," said truck driver Victor Rivers.

Mark Futrell found himself in a bad situation within a matter of seconds while traveling along Interstate 95 from Clayton to Rocky Mount.

"The weather turned vicious really quickly and all the traffic had slowed down, including myself, and there were people passing me," he said.

Futrell was attempting to get into the right lane to let faster drivers pass him when he lost control of his vehicle and slid off the road. Several miles away from where he crashed, an ambulance sat along I-95 after losing control. Further down the interstate, two more cars were stranded.

"I was doing about 60 mph when I slid off, more like 55, 50. The road is a 70 mph road and it did not look that bad," Futrell said.

Temperatures should climb above freezing by about 9 a.m. Tuesday and temperatures in the upper 40s will help melt any lingering snow and ice.

Temperatures will gradually warm throughout the week with forecast highs in the 60s by the weekend.