Winter weather closes Wake, other school districts Tuesday

School districts in Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, Chatham, Person, Wayne, Wilson and Chapel Hill-Carrboro have canceled classes.

Other school systems closed Tuesday include Bertie, Edgecombe, Vance, Granville, Harnett, Halifax, Lee, Moore, Montgomery and Warren counties.

Cumberland, Hoke and Camp Lejeune schools will operate on a two-hour delay Tuesday.

In anticipation of the treacherous travel conditions, many public school systems dismissed classes early Monday afternoon.

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University canceled Monday evening classes. UNC planned to operate on a delay Tuesday, with classes starting before 11 a.m. canceled. 

"The bottom line is that a little snow falls late Monday afternoon into the early evening, followed by several hours of sleet and then freezing rain at the end before precipitation shuts down early Tuesday morning," WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel added.

"It's a battle close to the Virginia line," Gardner said, "and there the cold air wins out."

The above combination contributed to the varied precipitation expected across North Carolina.

Precipitation tapers off after sunrise Tuesday, leaving the potential for power outages where ice accumulates.

"Tuesday is going to be a very cold day, so we won't see very much melting," Gardner said, adding, "Tuesday is going to be very, very messy on the roads."