It's happening: Winter storm arrives this evening

Durham Public Schools, Orange County Schools, Chapel Hill-Carborro City Schools, Franklin County Schools and Chatham County Schools announced they would dismiss students two hours early before the storm that prompted Gov. Roy Cooper to declare a State of Emergency for all 100 North Carolina counties.

The Triangle is looking at significant amounts of snow, but counties to the north and east of Raleigh could get even more, and once that snow falls, it could be here for a while.

"It looks like once we get below freezing this evening then temperatures stay below freezing until Tuesday," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. "That's why I'm saying whatever falls here is going to stick around for a while. Roads are going to be messy for several days."

Over Thursday night, the forecast models pushed the start of precipitation earlier in the day. Some of the earliest precipitation could begin after lunchtime and in the early afternoon, but it will still be too warm to fall as snow.

Cooper said the North Carolina Department of Transportation has 1,900 trucks ready to be deployed across the state. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol would also be ready to respond to problem areas, though Cooper urged people to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

"We are prepared to make sure that people are safe," Cooper said in a Friday morning press conference. "That is the No. 1 thing."

Despite the flip around the Triangle, though, counties in the south might not see the same switch to snow. The warmer low pressure system sitting off shore will push back against the cold air moving in from the north.

Where the two forces meet, Gardner said, will form a line that will determine how much snow falls: Points to the north of the line could see up to 9 inches of snow, while counties to the south might only get 1 or 2 inches.

"It's a battle between the two," Gardner said.

Winter weather advisories still blanket most counties in central and eastern North Carolina. A handful of schools, including Wake County Public Schools and Durham Public Schools, already canceled after-school and weekend activities.

Likewise, organizers of Gov. Roy Cooper's inauguration planned for Saturday canceled the event due to the potential for snow. The inauguration parade was canceled earlier in the week, and it's unclear when the events will be rescheduled.

Temperatures on Saturday will drop to a high of 28, but wind chills will make the air feel even more biting. The real cold will arrive on Sunday and Monday when the low temperature will be 9 and 0 degrees, respectively.