As much as five inches of snow falls across central NC
Cumberland County measured 4.5 inches of snow through 4 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2022. Durham saw 3.8 inches. Raleigh, Garner, Selma and Falls Lake were all reporting 3 inches or more.
Posted — UpdatedNo one was left out in this snow event. Every area in central North Carolina was covered in snow on Saturday, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.
Raleigh woke up to around three inches of snow and Garner and Selma both saw around three and a half inches.
By midnight on Friday, an inch and a half of snow had fallen. The last time we've seen that much snow fall on a Jan. 22 was in 1961, according to Gardner.
"We actually ended up breaking the daily record snowfall total," Gardner said.
The average amount of snow Raleigh sees during the month of January is around 2.5 inches, so this weekend's weather event is not terribly unusual.
The most snow recorded so far was five inches in Wilson County.
Cold temperatures
Temperatures will stay below freezing through Saturday, and roads are expected to be treacherous throughout the entire day. Temperatures will warm up a bit this afternoon, and road conditions will improve slightly.
Snow on the roads is turning into slush and more people were braving the streets, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.
The melting process will take a while, she said, so if you are a snow-lover, you'll get to enjoy it for a few days.
"Those clouds are actually building back to the west right now," Gardner said around 9 a.m. on Saturday. "We've had this deck of low cloud cover form. Of course, we have very low temperatures here on the ground. As we saw a little bit of that sunshine started to heat things up, we are looking at the cool temperatures and evaporation creating this deck of clouds across the area."
A wind chill means it felt much colder than it is outside on Saturday morning. In Raleigh and Durham, temperatures felt around 12 to 14 degrees. Counties north of Raleigh felt even colder — South Hill felt like seven degrees! BRRR!
If you're headed outside on Saturday, make sure to stay bundled up. The high for Saturday will only reach 34 degrees.
The wind chill should let up in the afternoon and our feels-like temperatures will begin to improve.
The snow that fell on Friday across central North Carolina could stick around for days. Roads will continue to be slippery on Sunday morning and possibly Monday morning.
Hour-by-hour updated, snow predictions
People were driving fast along Interstate 95, according to WRAL eastern North Carolina reporter Keenan Willard.
"This goes to show you, even when the roads look great, one moment could end up as a major accident," Willard said.
One car ran off the side of the road in Nash County and slid all the way into a small creek bed.
The vehicle and driver are expected to be okay, Willard reports.
Road conditions will continue to improve throughout the afternoon as the clouds part and the sun comes out.
Raleigh woke up to around three inches of snow and Garner and Selma both are seeing around three and a half inches.
By midnight on Friday, an inch and a half of snow had fallen. The last time we've seen that much snow fall on a Jan. 22 was in 1961, according to Gardner.
"We actually ended up breaking the daily record snowfall total," Gardner said.
The average amount of snow Raleigh sees during the month of January is around 2.5 inches, so this weekend's weather event is not terribly unusual.
Nashville saw as much as 4.8 inches of snow and Wilson County saw around 4.4 inches of snow.
- Orange Grove Road near Bradshaw Quarry
- U.S. Route 401 at Manor Ridge Road
- Optimist Farm Road near West Lake Road near Holly Springs
- N.C. Highway 22 at Mill Creek Road in Whispering Pines
A Cary snow plow crashed along Beaver Dam Road after skidding off the road. Crews were working to clear the scene early Saturday morning and the driver is expected to be okay.
Officials continue to urge that if you don't need to be on the road, don't drive. Not only does staying off the road help yourself, it also helps prevent first responders from having to get out in treacherous conditions.
If you're planning on taking the kids out to play in the snow, make sure they are bundled up. Even with the sunshine out this afternoon, temperatures are expected to be in the 20s.
"If you have little kids and you're taking them out, you want to take frequent breaks," Gardner said.
Skies will likely be clear around noon as snow moves out of North Carolina.
Saturday will be a cold one, with temperatures barely reaching 30 degrees and wind chill that could make it feel like the teens.
Those conditions don't lend themselves to a lot of melting of the snow that fell.
"We have a better chance to see melting tomorrow, with high temperatures in the 40s," Sheerwood said.
Road crews will have their work cut out for them on Saturday, when temperatures are forecast to stay below freezing throughout the day.
Skies should clear throughout the morning.
Snow is winding down in Orange, Person and Durham counties.
"This is rolling off to the south and east and we'll continue to see this trend throughout the overnight hours and into the morning," said WRAL meteorologist Peta Sheerwood.
Meanwhile, Wilmington is seeing freezing rain and sleet where an ice storm is currently expected.
As of 1 a.m., Nashville, Seven Lakes and Wake Forest have seen 2 inches of snow while Holly Springs, Garner and Raleigh have all reported over an 1 inch.
"These are likely to go up," said Maze.
A heavier snow band is also moving into the area right now, which Campbell said dumped snow in Durham.
"We're about to really see the intensity pick up in Raleigh," said Campbell, adding that snow should fall in Raleigh for another two hours.
Meanwhile, Campbell said there is moderate to heavy snow in Fayetteville, which has about another four hours of snowfall left.
"No fear, if your kids went to bed tonight and they didn't have snow on the ground, it is coming overnight," said Campbell.
"This is a good snow band. This is going to dump some decent snow," described Campbell.
So far, Nashville has reported around 2 inches of Snow, while Durham is reporting .5 inches.
As of 11 p.m. it was 23 degrees in Raleigh, and we still have a ways to go before snow moves out of the area.
By 6 a.m., WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said snow will have moved out of the area for the WRAL viewing area.
"We've got more hours ahead for the snow to accumulate," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.
Maze said the majority of the WRAL viewing area is seeing snow, but around the Sampson County area it is a blend of snow, rain and sleet.
"Some of our southern areas are still holding on to sleet," said Maze.
Around 1 inch of rain has fallen in Fuquay-Varina as of 10 p.m. and Raleigh is reporting 0.5''.
It'll remain in the 20s overnight as heavier bands of snow are expected around 11 p.m. and 12 a.m.
DUALDoppler5000 showed snowfall intensity picking up in counties east of the Triangle.
"It's so cool to see," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze. "Fayetteville, your area is typically left out when we have winter storms."
Roads have begun to get slick at this hour, according to WRAL meteorologists.
One person was injured in a crash at Interstate 440 and Western Boulevard. The road was completely shut down for several hours as police investigated the crash.
Raleigh police said one person was hit by a car and taken to a local hospital. The crash started with a two-car accident around 7 p.m. Police said the two people were exchanging information when another car came up from behind and hit one of those people.
Officials said a fire truck responding to the accident was then hit by another car from behind.
The Rocky Mount, Clinton and Goldsboro areas could see upwards of 6 inches of snow, while Raleigh could see 2 to 4 inches.
"Initially it's light, but I think the intensity will pick up 9, 10, 11 and 12 o'clock tonight," said Maze, adding that once more moderate snow starts to fall, it should accumulate.
WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth said the Storm Tracker has recorded very gust winds -- at one point a gust up to 32 miles per hour.
"Conditions will decrease on the roadways as we go through the evening, so we suggest you stay home," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.
In the Storm Tracker, WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth reported seeing small snowflakes in Angier, headed towards Lillington.
"We are noticing that there is just a little bit [of snow] starting to pile up on the side of the road," said Wilmoth.
If you aren't seeing snow yet, don't worry, Maze said by 11 p.m., it is expected to be snowing all throughout the WRAL viewing area.
The snowfall will continue to intensify into the evening, and roads will become more dangerous as snow piles up.
WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell expects widespread snowfall across central and eastern North Carolina from 9 to 11 p.m., with snow moving out to the east overnight.
By dawn on Saturday, there should be a coating of snow on the ground but clear skies, Campbell said.
Temperatures are not expected to get above freezing before Sunday, so the snow that falls Friday into Saturday will stick around, making for treacherous travel through the weekend.
"We're kind of just sitting and waiting at this point," Wilmoth said. "Right now, the roads are dry. It's fine to get out on the roads for the next couple of hours, but then you really want to get home."
The National Guard is on standby ahead of the storm. More than 100 soldiers are stationed throughout central and eastern North Carolina.
The NCDOT is brining the I-440/I-40 loop and I-87/US-64 in eastern Wake County in preparation.
There have been around 70 cancellations at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
"That's where it will snow for the longest amount of time," said WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner.
The last time RDU saw 2.5 inches of snow was almost two years ago in February of 2020.
Durham is at 27 degrees with 11 mile-per-hour winds out of the northeast. The wind direction is how the colder air continues to move in.
"This is really the perfect setup for snow in North Carolina," said WRAL meteorologist Zach Maloch. "You have to have the cold air in place first and then we'll see a new area of low pressure develop and bring the snow later on this evening and overnight."
We'll see some sunshine on Saturday and minimal melting as temperatures will linger around freezing.
"We talked about this yesterday, thinking that it was probably going to be an issue and it definitely has been," said Gardner.
Icy roads left untreated will remain a problem this morning. We'll see mainly cloudy skies through midday before the precipitation redevelops.
"I would be prepared for that snow to start falling by mid-afternoon," said Gardner. "In some places, it probably won't happen until we get to later in the afternoon or overnight."
Areas along and east of the I-95 corridor will see snow fill in before 5 p.m. Around 7, 8 p.m., the snow line will move to the west and impact the Triangle.
"We may be talking about an inch more snow today than we were yesterday," said Gardner. "The models have finally come together on spreading more snow to the west."
Gardner said we're looking at 1 to 3 inches of snow around Wake County and 3 to 5 inches along I-95. We're looking at a low of 17° on Friday night.
"It is not going to melt anytime soon," Gardner said.
"We're likely to see this for the next couple of hours and then it will gradually die down," said Maze.
Unfortunately, Maze said counties south of Raleigh aren't likely to see snow on Thursday night.
But, Maze said that this is just the first part of snow in central North Carolina.
"We're seeing a lot of excited people saying, 'We're seeing some big, fluffy flakes coming down.' That's quite exciting ... and this time Friday, our radar should be loaded down with snow with the second round coming on in," said Maze.
After the snow ends, the biggest issue overnight will be the roads. The road temperature in Raleigh is 29 degrees as of 11 p.m., according to Futurecast.
"Especially the elevated roads and bridges are a problem," said Maze.
"Snow is coming down through Chapel Hill and Hillsborough ... this will continue to head to the south," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.
Futurecast showed road temperatures in the 20s across the WRAL Viewing area at 8 a.m. Friday.
"Use extreme caution if you travel overnight," warned Maze.
WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze said a dusting of snow has been reported in Roanoke Rapids, while sleet pellets have been reported in Raleigh.
Temperatures are continue to drop with South Hill, Va., at 29 degrees and Durham and Rocky Mount at 34 degrees.
"The bottom line is, most of what we see [Thursday night] will come to an end by 1, 2, or 3 a.m.," said Maze.
In the Oxford and Henderson areas, temperatures have fallen below freezing, WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said. There have also been reports of snow and sleet mixing in with the rain in northern Wake and Durham counties.
The latest runs of Futurecast showed the rain/snow line sagging to the south on Thursday night as arctic air moves into the area. But as that happens, there will also be dry air moving.
By Friday afternoon, rain and snow will begin building back into the WRAL viewing area's eastern counties and started to build west toward the Triangle.
"That may not happen until late Friday evening or Friday night," said Campbell.
The latest runs of Futurecast do show the shelf of snow reaching Raleigh.
Campbell added that any snow would be out of the area by early Saturday morning.
As of 7 p.m., WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell said this is the lower impact wave of our winter weather. But widespread, hard freeze is expected overnight which brings an icing threat for Friday morning.
Across central North Carolina, radar showed mainly light rain with some light snow and light sleet mixing in across our northern counties.
"Even though the precipitation is lightening up, we still have some light precipitation to the west, We're not done with this just yet," said Campbell.
Meanwhile, Duke University and Duke University Health System has activated its severe weather policy for 7 a.m. through 10 a.m. on Friday. All on-site classes before 10 a.m. will be canceled or moved to online and classes after 10 a.m. will continue as scheduled.
Duke Health clinics, including COVID testing sites and vaccination sites, could delay opening or closing based on evolving weather conditions Friday.
Other area hospitals, such as UNC Rex, saiid while they're encouraged by lowering snowfall predictions in the Triangle, any ice or freezing rain could be disruptive.
UNX Rex director of emergency management Alan Foster said across the UNC Health System, many staff will stay at the hospital or nearby hotels to make sure they're able to work their shifts through the storm.
"We had about a 25 percent reduction in the schedule [Wednesday] but that was all voluntary surgeries that could safely be postponed," said Foster. "We'll certainly maintain the necessary schedules for procedures and certainly the emergency cases. WE have plans in place to maintain that regardless of the weather."
"Up in our northern counties, we're seeing a little bit of light snow falling," said WRAL meteorologist Mike Maze.
In the Triangle, MAKO Medical COVID-19 testing sites will be closed on Friday, while Wake County COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites will be closed Friday and Saturday. People with an appointment at a Wake testing site will receive an email to let them know they can returned to the scheduled appointment site on Monday and Tueday when the appointment will be honored.
Wake sites will continue to be open until 7 p.m. on Thursday. MAKO Medical will close its sites at PNC Arena, the Mudcats Stadium, WakeMed Soccer Park and Word of God. The sites will reopen on Monday, according to a statement from the company.
Areas around South Hill are already bordering freezing temperatures, so the change could start soon in areas north of Raleigh. The northern part of the WRAL viewing area is expected for rain to change to wintry mix from 4 to 6 p.m. meanwhile the transition timeline in the Triangle will be tween 7 and 9 p.m.
The latest snow forecast as of 4 p.m. showed the Triangle and down toward Fayetteville getting up to an inch-and-a-half of snow for Thursday and Friday. Those numbers go up for areas around Roxboro, Rocky Mount, Wilson and Goldsboro with 2 to 4 inches of snow forecasted.
In Fayetteville, a shelter will open at 4 p.m. at Smith Recreation Center, 1520 Slater Ave. It will remain open through noon on Sunday. Meals will be served, but pets are not allowed. Everyone will be screened for COVID-19 upon arrival, and isolation areas will be available for those who test positive or have COVID-19 symptoms. Social distancing will be enforced and masks are required inside the shelter.
Thursday noon update:
Rain is now falling steadily across the viewing area. That rain will change over to a wintry mix by 4 to 6 p.m. in our northern counties, especially those north of Durham, according to WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner. Snowflakes and light accumulation will be possible Thursday night as far south as Wake County.
Temperatures will plunge into the 20s overnight and on Friday, so roads will become treacherous anywhere they are wet, but especially north of Raleigh.
There will be a break in precipitation Friday morning, with redevelopment occurring around 10 a.m. or 11 a.m., and snow slowly spreading into the Triangle area from the east.
Since Friday's snow will be coming from a coastal low, models are calling for very little snow from Durham to Roxboro and points to the northwest, which isn't the usual case. Freezing rain will begin along North Carolina's coast Friday morning, where an ice storm warning is in effect, and drift into central North Carolina through the morning.
Wake County could see snowflakes around noon Friday, but how much accumulation we'll see is still unclear.
"The snow/no-snow line will slowly move northwest, but drier air will battle how far west that line gets," WRAL meteorologist Zach Maloch said. "The snow looks to continue right along and especially east of I-95 through the afternoon and into the evening."
According to Gardner, Raleigh is most likely to see 1 to 2 inches of snow, and areas to the east could see between 2 and 5 inches.
That means people will wake up to snow Saturday morning, with those to the east seeing more than points from the Triangle west.
The system will quickly move out before sunrise Saturday morning, Maloch said, but it could be Sunday before any melting occurs.
Thursday late morning update: 1-2 inches of snow for Triangle, 2-5 inches for northeast counties
Snow totals aren't looking as great for Raleigh as they were 24 hours ago, but there's still a high chance snow lovers in the Triangle will see some accumulation.
Temperatures will stay above freezing in the Triangle on Thursday as scattered to widespread rain moves in throughout the day. A changeover to snow could occur late afternoon for counties to our north, with light accumulation of less than 1 inch possible overnight along the North Carolina-Virginia line.
The Triangle won't see accumulation Thursday night, but we could see some flurries.
The biggest threat from Thursday's system will be icy conditions on roads for the Friday morning commute. Communities from the Triangle northward should plan to buy their groceries and stay home by Thursday night, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.
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