Some saw flakes as Wednesday system moved east

Residents of Roxboro and Creedmoor, Sanford and Cary were among those who reported light snow showers Wednesday evening as a winter weather system crossed through central North Carolina.

Posted 11:18 a.m. Jan 20, 2016 — Updated 3:23 a.m. Jan 21, 2016

RALEIGH, N.C. — Residents of Roxboro and Creedmoor, Sanford and Cary were among those who reported light snow showers Wednesday evening as a winter weather system crossed through central North Carolina.

The National Weather Service had much of the Triangle under a winter weather advisory through 11 p.m., noting the possibility for light snow accumulation north of U.S. Highway 64.

Given the forecast, several Triangle area public school systems, including Durham, Johnston and Wake County, canceled after-school activities, and many churches canceled evening services.

Closings & Delays

The N.C. Department of Transportation rolled out trucks across the state to treat roads for Wednesday's few fast-moving flakes and a more powerful precipitation-packing cold front forecast for Friday.

Thousands of gallons of brine, a mixture of salt and water that coats the road surface and keeps snow from sticking, were sprayed on highways, bridges and ramps, especially along the Interstate 95 corridor.

Willie Johnson was among those driving uncountable numbers of miles, making the yellow trucks a common sight.

Steve Abbott, a spokesman for DOT, said counties were doing the same, preparing for a possible one-two punch of winter weather.

Abbott pointed out that brine is effective in inhibiting icy roads down to about 20 degrees.

After Wednesday's system passes by, Abbott said, "We'll be out doing the same thing we did, making sure those areas are covered, and maybe expanding the areas a little bit because we have a little more time. And then Friday, it's more of a wait and see."

Between storms, the Triangle gets a quiet day, weather-wise, WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said. Thursday will be mostly clear and warmer than recent days, with a high temperature in the mid-40s.

Wintry weather returns on Friday, when the forecast offers a mix of sleet, snow and freezing rain for central North Carolina on the leading edge of a system that could create blizzard conditions along the Atlantic seaboard. The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center warns of heavy, "perhaps crippling" snow across the northern mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia.

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