RALEIGH, N.C. — The latest on snow that began falling around North Carolina on Wednesday evening:
11:40 p.m.: A car slid off Interstate 95 in Halifax County and into an embankment. Crews were responding and authorities did not say if anybody was injured.
11:30 p.m.: WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel says light snow could still be falling in the eastern part of Wake County as the system moves out, but measurable snow could still be falling hard in places like Rocky Mount and Goldsboro until about 3 a.m.
"Those areas still have several more hours of accumulating snow to go," he said.
Fishel said it's unlikely temperatures at Raleigh-Durham International Airport will rise above the freezing mark Thursday, putting the area on track to break the record for the most consecutive days below freezing.
11:06 p.m.: The back edge of the system that brought snow to the state was near the Wake-Chatham County line and will continue to advance to the east overnight, WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said.
"By morning, the only remaining snow should be in the far northeastern corner of North Carolina," he said.
10:54 p.m.: A Megabus got stranded when it slid off the road on U.S. Highway 15-501 near N.C. Highway 147. Authorities were responding to the scene. It was unknown if anybody was injured.
10:39 p.m.: Clayton police said roads have become treacherous throughout the town. A car ended up in a ditch on Covered Bridge Road and cars slid into each other in front of the Food Lion on U.S. Highway 70. No injuries were reported in either crash, police said.
10:37: Minor crashes have been reported on several roads in Fayetteville including several incidents of drivers sliding off the roadway and getting stuck.
10:06 p.m.: Snow has been falling in parts of Wake County for at least an hour, covering roads and leading to deteriorating driving conditions, although no crashes have been reported.
WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze estimates the Triangle will see about 1 to 2 inches before the snow moves out while counties to the south and east could see up to 6 inches. Northeastern counties could see up to 8 inches and a blizzard warning has been issued for some counties near the Virginia state line.
10:05: p.m.: GoTriangle and GoDurham have suspended all service to keep passengers safe.
9:54 p.m.: At least 6 inches of snow has fallen in Lee and Moore counties and some areas, including Rocky Mount, could see up to 8 inches of snow before the system moves out, according to WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel.
9:51 p.m.: The Harnett County Courthouse will be closed Thursday as a result of snow.
9:38 p.m.: FAST transit service will be delayed Thursday in Fayetteville, with buses making their first stop at 8 p.m. Transit will also be operating with some detours as a result of road conditions.
9:30 p.m.: According to a spokesperson with the Wake County Public School System, kindergarten registration will not take place Thursday since classes are canceled as a result of the weather. Registration will resume when students return to school.
9:21 p.m.: Franklin County schools announced all classes will be canceled Thursday as a result of the snow.
9:06 p.m.: Durham Public Schools announced classes would be canceled for students Thursday, with an optional workday for teachers, as a result of the weather.
8:54 p.m.: While up to 5 inches of snow has fallen in Moore County, light snow has only just begun falling in Wake County as the band of snow to the west of the Triangle began losing intensity.
"We're losing the opportunity, at least here in the Triangle, to see a great amount of accumulating snow," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.
8:48 p.m.: Harnett County announced all government offices will operate on a two-hour delay Thursday.
8:32 p.m.: Wake County schools will be closed Thursday as a result of the weather, the district announced Wednesday night.
Moore County announced that all government offices and transportation services will be closed Thursday as a result of conditions.
8:26 p.m.: Orange County schools have announced classes will be canceled Thursday as a result of the weather.
8:12 p.m.: Nash-Rocky Mount Public schools will close for students and staff on Thursday as a result of the snow.
8:08 p.m.: Moore County schools announced classes would be canceled Thursday as a result of the snow that has already created
dangerous driving conditions around the county.
8:03 p.m.: Winter storm warnings have been extended to include Lee and Moore counties as winter weather advisories were expanded to include more counties to the west of Raleigh.
WRAL Chief Meteorologist Greg Fishel said a "donut hole" that allowed the winter weather to bypass the Triangle for a large portion of the night was filling in and teh area should begin to see snow that could last through midnight.
"If you haven't seen snow yet, you should shortly," Fishel said.
7:55 p.m.: Chapel Hill-Carrboro City schools announced classes would be canceled Thursday as a result of the snow with an optional workday for teachers.
7:35 p.m.: Apex Middle School will be closed for the second day in a row Thursday as a result of heating issues plaguing the building, according to the Wake County Public School System. All other schools in the district are scheduled to open as usual Thursday.
7:25 p.m.: Chatham County Sheriff Mike Robertson is urging residents to stay off the roads as multiple car wrecks have been reported as a result of slick roads that are covered in snow.
Despite the heavy snow in parts of the state, no snow has been reported in Raleigh, Durham or Fayetteville and WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said current forecast models show the storm could largely bypass Wake County.
"We may not see much of an accumulation here in Wake County," he said.
6:07 p.m.: Johnston County schools announced that classes would be canceled Thursday as a result of the snowy forecast.
6 p.m.: Snow has been falling for at least an hour in Moore County and places near the South Carolina border while Chapel Hill residents reported the first snowflakes..
WRAL meteorologist Greg Fishel said dry air in the Triangle was preventing flakes from falling, but snow would likely fall in and around Raleigh between about 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.
“There is still an area here where the area is very dry and it’s taking some time for it to moisten up and let snowflakes make their way to the ground,” he said.
Earlier story:
Snow began falling Wednesday evening in parts of North Carolina as part of a winter weather system expected to dump up to four inches of snow in southern and eastern parts of the Tar Heel state.
Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday announced that he would issue a state of emergency declaration for the regions of the state that are in the path of the winter storm.
Winter storm warnings were issued for Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston, Nash, Sampson, Wayne and Wilson counties until 7 a.m. Thursday as the advancing winter storm threatens to drop several inches of snow in eastern and central North Carolina.
Winter weather advisories are in effect for Chatham, Cumberland, Durham, Franklin, Harnett, Lee, More and Wake counties, among others, until 7 a.m. Thursday.
