Refreezing, black ice a concern for central NC

According to The National Weather Service, temperatures will quickly drop back into the 20s Tuesday evening producing black ice across many area roads, parking lots and sidewalks.

"Stay off the roads. If you don't have to be out, stay home and enjoy your family," Gov. Pat McCrory said Tuesday during a news conference in Raleigh. "This is a different weather pattern, and it's going to make the roads difficult to clean."

Another quick blast of wintry precipitation will push through the area on Wednesday as a front approaches, WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said. 

"This is likely going to fall as snow during the afternoon. We could see a dusting in many areas between noon and 6 p.m. as more arctic air heads our way," he said. 

The chance for snow on Wednesday will peak at about 40 percent. The best chance will be from the Triangle north. 

Behind the second shot of wintry precipitation and the front, the coldest air in years will rush into the state.

Low temperatures will dip into the single digits early Thursday, likely settling around 5 degrees, a mark that would shatter the old record low of 11 degrees. Highs Thursday will stay in the teens despite partly cloudy skies. On Friday morning, low temperatures could be near 0 degrees, about 13 degrees below the record for that day.

The old record low temperatures for Feb.19 and Feb. 20 at Raleigh-Durham International were set in 1979. The last time temperatures reached 0 degrees at RDU was Feb. 5, 1996. 

Daytime highs will be in the upper teens to near 20 degrees on the final day of the work week before milder air pushes into the region for the weekend.