The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for most of central North Carolina – including Wake, Durham and Orange counties – from midnight to 9 a.m. Friday as more bitterly cold air moves into the region.

The overnight low in Raleigh is expected to dip to 11 degrees, and the wind chill will make it feel like zero. It will be the second-coldest night of the season, reminiscent of the overnight low of 9 degrees reached on Jan. 7.

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"It's going to be really close to the coldest day we've had," WRAL meteorologist Nate Johnson said. "People should take the same precautions."

That means making sure pets are inside or sheltered and vulnerable plants are protected. Homeowners are also advised to leave a faucet dripping to prevent pipes from freezing.

Wind chill temperatures will bottom out in the pre-dawn hours and rise to 5 to 10 degrees by early Friday morning, according to the advisory. Friday will be sunny, with a high of 27 degrees in Raleigh.

“It’s really unusual in North Carolina to have a completely sunny day and it never gets above freezing,” WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said. “I think we’ve done that twice this winter, and we may have one or two more coming within the next week.”

Public schools in Nash-Rocky Mount, Chatham, Alamance, Person, Halifax and Granville counties will start two hours late because of the cold, and the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro will be closed Friday.

In Virginia, schools in Mecklenburg County will close, and schools in Northampton County will start two hours late.

Read all closings and delays here.

It's been cold all week in North Carolina, starting with a winter storm that swept in from the Northeast on Tuesday. Western North Carolina bore the brunt of the storm, with 5 to 8 inches of snow falling in the mountains. In central North Carolina, counties along the Interstate 95 corridor got between 2 and 3 inches of accumulation.

"We didn't end up seeing much accumulate down south, but from the Triangle north and east, we got more snow," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

Snow and ice remained on roads in Nash and Edgecombe counties and near the Virginia border Wednesday night, according to the State Highway Patrol.

Weekend temperatures are expected to reach the low 40s. There will be a brief warm spell on Monday, with 51 as the high before the temperature dips to 31 on Tuesday.