Wintry precipitation could fall tonight, but accumulation is unlikely

"That's good news for us because we may have several hours between the time the rain moves out and the cold temperatures set in," Gardner said. "That'll give the roads some time to dry."

However, if water remains on roads, particularly on bridges, there could be slick spots Wednesday morning.

“The biggest effect that you’re going to notice out of this is the bitter cold,” she said.

Boone and Asheville could see a couple of inches of snow, and areas in higher elevations could see 3 to 5 inches.

Central North Carolina could see some showers around 3 p.m. They're expected to move out of the area by 10 p.m.

There's a chance to see wintry precipitation between 7 and 9 p.m. in northern Wake County and northward, Gardner said, including Durham and Henderson. Little to no accumulation is expected in the Triangle, though, because roads will likely be too warm.

Other areas to the east and the south will see rain.

Models show that cold air will lag behind precipitation, so temperatures likely won't drop below freezing until midnight, Gardner said.

While temperatures will get to the upper 40s Tuesday, they'll plummet in the evening.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation started brining major routes on Saturday to prepare for possible Tuesday night snow. According to the NCDOT's Tim Hoss, crews have been brining interstates, bridges and overpasses in and northwest of the Triangle and will continue to do so into Tuesday.

"In a typical event, it's going to take me two to three days to hit everything that I'm going to need to hit," said DOT maintenance engineer Jason Dunigan.

In just a day and a half, Dunigan said crews spread more than 140,000 gallons of brine, which costs about seven cents per gallon. He says the brine is an inexpensive insurance policy that will help keep drivers safe.

"We don't see bad weather that often here, and because we don't see it that often, people aren't prepared to handle the weather as far as driving in it," Triangle resident Anthony Robinson said.