Wake schools, others cancel classes ahead of Tuesday snow

Snow could begin even before noon in some parts of the Sandhills and southern coastal areas, said WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel. Once snow starts to fall, temperatures will fall along with it.

"If you are in an area that sees blue on the map before noon or 1 o'clock tomorrow, you might want to consider not going to work or certainly leaving early to beat the worst of it," he said.

The National Weather Service said the area of greatest snowfall would be in the southeast half of central North Carolina, roughly along and east of a line from Laurinburg to Lillington and from Smithfield to Tarboro.

The outlook for snow is almost opposite the traditional northwest-to-southeast pattern."Instead of the precipitation moving along with the cold front, it's going to be developing off shore with that moisture pushing inland. We're going to see heavier snow totals down east," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.  

The snow will push up, possibly as far as the Triangle to the west, then retreat back toward the coast and taper off through Wednesday morning.

The pattern of moisture flow means areas west of Raleigh – Durham, Chapel Hill, Carrboro and Roxboro – will get less snow. Some areas might just get a dusting.

Municipal crews across the eastern half of the state began covering major roads Monday with brine – the ice-resistant salt and water mix.

As the temperatures drop Tuesday evening, precipitation could stick to roadways and make travel hazardous along parts of interstates 95 and 40 east of Raleigh, highways 64 and 264, and other areas.

Trucks were loaded with salt, sand and plows in anticipation of any post-snow cleanup duty.