Weather

Crash in Nash County kills 2; more than 60,000 without power in NC

Sleet and snow are already falling in the Triangle, and a long day of power outages and icy conditions could be ahead.

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WRAL Severe Weather Center
RALEIGH, N.C. — Freezing rain and snow are already falling in the Triangle, and a long day of power outages and icy conditions is ahead.

What to know

  • Ice will be the biggest threat into Sunday afternoon, with power outages and slick, treacherous roads building across the viewing area.
  • Road conditions are worst from the Triangle to the northwest. Power outages are worst southwest of the Triangle.
  • Temperatures will begin warming to above freezing by mid-afternoon, which could improve roads, but refreezing overnight could complicate the Monday morning commute.
  • The snow has ended in central North Carolina. The heaviest snow fell in Roxboro, while less than 0.5 inches of snow fell in Durham, and areas from Raleigh to the southeast saw a trace to nothing. Some areas in the mountains saw more than 10 inches.
  • Where snow did fall, changeover to freezing rain happened quickly. By mid-afternoon, when temperatures warm up, everyone will see rain.
  • A winter storm warning is in effect for the Triangle and areas to the northwest, including Raleigh, Durham and Sanford. Areas to the east are under a winter weather advisory.
  • More than 160 flight cancellations have been reported at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Southwest has canceled all flights in and out of RDU.
  • More than 60,000 N.C. customers and businesses were without power at 4 p.m. Report an outage by texting OUT to 57801 or calling 800-419-6356.
  • Sgt. Chris Knox with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said there's been 792 calls for service and 316 collisions throughout the state.

Snow-ice updates

4:20 p.m.: Around 67,000 power outages remain in the state. Moore County still has around 17,000.
4 p.m.: We're starting to see some improvements on some roads. Our cameras at the DBAP showed some melting on the Durham Freeway and our North Hills cam showed traffic moving freely on the beltline.

The back edge of the system is heading north and right now, only our northern areas are seeing freezing rain. We're continuing to watch a line of heavy rain through eastern North Carolina, but nothing has materialized for severe weather as of yet.

Holly Springs Road near Middle Creek Bridge is temporarily closed due to a fallen tree entangled in power lines. There are roughly 3,000 power outages in the Holly Springs area.

Interstate 95 has reopened in both directions at Exit 31 in Robeson County. Duke Energy was able to repair a low-hanging power line. There were no injuries.

The annual MLK Brunch presented by Fayetteville Cumberland County Ministerial Council at the Crown Expo has been postponed.

3 p.m.: A Nash County crash resulted in two deaths in what was a single-car accident, according to Sgt. Knox. WRAL is working to learn more about this story.

A downed tree is blocking East Garner Road in Raleigh. The tree fell across power lines, which brought Duke Energy crews out to the scene.

Across North Carolina, there are more than 80,000 power outages. The bulk of the outages in our area are concentrated in Moore and Wake counties, where more than 34,000 households are without power across both counties.

Lake Wheeler had .18'' of freezing rain on Sunday, the highest amount in the area.

2:20 p.m.: Wake County COVID-19 testing sites organized by Mako Medical at Five County Stadium, PNC Arena, WakeMed Soccer Park and Word of God Church will not open until 11 a.m. on Monday due to the expected cold temperatures that could cause ice on the roads.
2 p.m.: The precipation keeps falling and will get heavier this afternoon, but it shouldn't be freezing. We're finally above 32 degrees in Raleigh and Durham, officallly making it rain.

"It remains a nasty, nasty day out there," said WRAL meterologist Elizabeth Gardner.

We'll see warm air continue to surge north and a line of showers and storms move in between 4 and 7 p.m.

1:30 p.m.: A power pole was snapped in Cary near Southeast Maynard Road, causing power outages to one neighborhood. Duke Energy crews were on the scene making repairs. More than 9,000 were without power in Wake County.
1 p.m.: As of 1 p.m., Raleigh and Durham had warmed up to 31 degrees. A warm front is moving north into our area, helping bring rain and helping melt some of the troubles away.

"We've just got to get these temperatures a little bit warmer," said Gardner.

Gusty winds and icy trees are expected to increase outages across the state into the afternoon. Raleigh and Durham have had wind gusts of 28 MPH. The largest concentration of outages in our area are in Moore County, where around 12,000 are without power.

12:45 p.m.: In Cary, the intersection of Southeast Maynard Road and Cary Towne Boulevard is closed because of a downed power line in the road. A large tree fell, snapping a power pole, prompting a Duke Energy crew to respond.
12:30 p.m.: Flight cancellations have increased at RDU to 163. Delays stand at 18.

Road conditions continue to deteriorate northwest of Raleigh where more snow and freezing rain fell, especially in Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and Roxboro. Temperatures will rise above freezing in the coming hours, Elizabeth Gardner said, but it will be a while before conditions improve, and Monday morning could also be treacherous.

Power outages will also get worse before they get better. A downed power line was reported at Cary Towne Boulevard and SE Maynard Road, and more than 2,600 are without power in Wake County alone.

Snow covered roads in Roxboro
12:00 p.m.: Gov. Roy Cooper said between 8 to 12 inches of snow have fallen in the mountains, while central N.C. is dealing with ice, power outages and crashes. At 11:30 a.m., around 41,000 homes and businesses in the state were without power, and that number is expected to worsen. If you experience a power outage, do not call 911 -- instead, report it to your utility company, the governor reminded. To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, never use generators inside.

People without power who need shelter can find a list at readync.gov. Shelters have opened in Moore, Iredell and Warren counties.

Please stay off the roads, Cooper and transportation officials urged, reminding drivers who must travel to reduce their speed, increase their following distance and clear all snow and ice from their vehicles before hitting the road.

Officials said 1,600 NCDOT employers and contractors are on the roads working to clear routes. The State Highway Patrol responded to 460 calls for service and 200 crashes.

Icy conditions will persist into the afternoon and early Monday morning, and heavy rain could lead to flooded roads in eastern North Carolina, which is experiencing high winds. Twenty-five N.C. counties have issued a state of emergency.

11:30 a.m.: Conditions are poor even in southern Wake County, where an SUV slid off Fayetteville Road near Buffalo Lanes and into a ditch. It appeared the driver was uninjured. Elizabeth Gardner estimated there could be another two hours of ice accumulation before changeover to rain and some slight melting occurs.

Even if conditions improve by Sunday afternoon, roads will be slick Monday morning in any areas that remain wet after they refreeze overnight.

11:10 a.m.: Now that snow has been replaced with freezing rain and sleet, outage numbers are beginning to climb across central North Carolina, said Jeff Brooks from Duke Energy. It only takes one-quarter of an inch of ice to bring down a tree limb, especially with high winds, he said.

If you have a power outage, you should report it by texting OUT to 57801 or calling 800-419-6356. Around 27,445 customers in North Carolina are without power.

10:45 a.m.: In Chapel Hill, WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth described some streets and parking lots as a "sheet of ice." Temperatures won't rise above freezing until this afternoon, and bridges are getting slicker, WRAL's Brian Shrader said.

According to the Orange County Sheriff's Office, 12 crashes were reported since 8 a.m. on I-40 and I-85 as people drive too quickly. The Wake County Sheriff's Office responded to overturned cars along U.S. 264 and N.C. 39.

The snow is mostly over across our viewing area, Gardner said, but more accumulation from freezing rain could occur. In Roxboro, where as much of 2 inches of snow fell, pellets of ice are now falling.

10:15 a.m.: Sgt. Chris Knox from the State Highway Patrol said his team is responding to an increasing number of crashes in the Triangle, mostly on interstates as people travel at too high of a speed.
Road conditions are worsening in the Triangle. Interstate 40 in Raleigh is covered in snow and ice, and both directions of Interstate 95 are closed in Robeson County due to low-hanging powerlines. The worst conditions are from Raleigh northward but there are slick patches south of the Triangle. Road temperatures are still below freezing across the viewing area, so slick conditions will be a problem beyond lunchtime.

In Fayetteville, ice was on tree branches and cars, but roads were mostly wet from all the rain that has fallen.

I-40 in Raleigh
10 a.m.: More than 14,000 are without power across North Carolina, including roughly 2,000 in the Southern Pines area. Raleigh-Durham International Airport is reporting more than 155 flight cancellations. Warmer air to our south and east will continue to shift inland in the hours to come as sleet and freezing rain shifts to rain.
9:30 a.m.: Drivers in Raleigh and across the Triangle will have to watch for slush and icy spots if they are on the roads this morning. Even on major routes like Interstate 40, slick spots and crashes have been reported.

Conditions will get more treacherous northwest of Raleigh, with routes in Durham and Chapel Hill more covered in frozen precipitation. Drivers should especially pay attention to bridges and secondary roads.

"We're especially starting to see more ice in Wake County," said NCDOT spokesperson Marty Homan. "We'd like viewers to stay home if at all possible."

Homan said, like other industries, the NCDOT has been impacted by COVID-19 and staffing shortages. "It is possible that it will take us longer to respond to this storm and get roads cleared," Homan said.

If they must venture outside, drivers are asked to steer clear of crews to help them work on clearing the roads.

9:00 a.m.: At this point, the line of snow is north of Durham. There is one-third of an inch of snow on the ground in Durham, but that area has now changed over to freezing rain, according to WRAL meteorolgist Elizabeth Gardner. In Roxboro, snow is still falling, but later this morning everyone will change over to rain.

WRAL's exclusive dual-pol radar helps clearly identify rain vs. snow vs. sleet, giving us the opportunity to detect the size, shape and variety of the droplets and distinguish between different types of winter precipitation.

A warm front will surge northward this afternoon, helping to improve road conditions. At noon, areas southeast of the Triangle will be above freezing, Gardner said, and by 2 p.m. the Triangle will be above freezing. Raleigh will be in the 40s and 50s by 4 p.m.

From the Triangle northward snow is on the ground, Gardner said, but areas below that won't see snow if they haven't already.

8:45 a.m.: Thousands of power outages have been reported, most west of the Triangle, including 1,000 in Southern Pines and 2,000 in Charlotte. A power pole has come down on Clayton Road in Durham County, and more outages are expected throughout the morning as freezing rain builds on tree branches and power lines.
8:30 a.m.: A quick changeover to sleet is occuring along Wake, Durham, Chatham and Franklin counties. Everything south of the transistion line is freezing rain and everything north of it is snow. "We're definitely seeing our cameras icing up," said Elizabeth Gardner.
8:15 a.m.: "You just need to stay home," said WRAL meteorolgist Aimee Wilmoth, who noticed slick conditions on Interstate 40 near U.S. 70 in Raleigh and saw two cars slide into each other. WRAL reporter Amanda Lamb also noticed icy spots on I-40 and I-440 in Raleigh. Highway 54 in Carrboro was covered in light snow, prompting the Orange County Sheriff's Office to tell people to stay home.
8:00 a.m.: Road conditions are deteriorating north and west of Raleigh, according to WRAL's Brian Shrader, and the NCDOT has started brining bridges that pose a greater risk. Conditions look widely different across the Triangle, with just a dusting of snow in Raleigh compared to snowy white surfaces in Chapel Hill.
Snow covers I-40 near I-85 in Efland
7:40 a.m.: While roads in Raleigh are mostly clear, snow is covering roads in Durham and Chapel Hill. In Chapel Hill especially, viewers were sending WRAL News photos of beautiful snow scenes. Unfortuantely, this will be more of an ice storm, with freezing rain moving in for just about everyone by lunchtime. Roxboro will see the greatest accumulation, where 2 to 3 inches of snow are expected at most.

Road conditions are expecetd to get worse throughout the morning as freezing rain falls and road surfaces stay cold.

Road temperature forecast for Sunday morning (Updated at Jan.15 at 10. p.m.)
7:15 a.m.: The best chance for power outages will be from the Triangle to the southwest, Gardner said, and the cold temperatures below freezing are a concern for any drivers. "Just stay home if you can," she said. In the Triangle, temperatures are expected to remain below freezing until lunchtime. After noon, ice on roads and surfaces could start melting.
Snow covers cars in the Triangle

Winds are expected to gust as high as 40 mph at times on Sunday. With ice on power lines and trees, this could also lead to power outages.

6:45 a.m.: Around 150 flights are canceled at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Southwest has canceled operations for the day, and other airlines are holding flights until at least mid-afternoon, according to Stephanie Hawco from RDU, who said snow was falling heavily at the airport.

The runways were treated before the storm hit, and crews will be on the ground assessing conditions today, so it's possible some flights could resume in the afternoon.

WRAL Snow Forecast

An icy glaze is covering surfaces like cars and grass across central North Carolin. Once the glaze is on trees and power lines, outages will begin, with counties southwest of the Triangle most at risk.

Icicles on road signs in Fayetteville: Jan. 1g

Warmth will lift northward this morning, and if you've already seen a changeover to sleet and freezing rain at this point, you probably won't see more snow, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

6:30 a.m.: Slippery roads will be a threat later this morning, but right now roads are just very wet, according to WRAL's Brian Shrader and reporters stationed across the viewing area. Bridges could become icy first, so if you must be on the roads, drive slowly and pay close attention to conditions.
6:00 a.m.: Light snowflakes are falling at WRAL-TV, and flurries are spotted all across the Triangle. A cold, bitter wind and a light wintry mix is falling in Fayetteville, and some rain was already freezing on the tops of cars in Southern Pines in Moore County. You can check out live cameras from across the state here.
Freezing rain forecast for Sunday morning (updated as of Jan. 15, 2022 at 11 p.m.)

Temperatures are in the upper 20s in Raleigh and below freezing across the entire area, so any rain or snow that falls could cause slippery conditions or stick to power lines, creating outages. Drivers are encouraged to stay home if possible.

Some people will see snow, mostly northwest of the Triangle. The snow will fall early Sunday morning before transitioning to a rain-freezing rain-sleet mix by lunchtime.

Winter storm warning for Wake county and communities south
Winter weather advisory for counties east of Raleigh (Updated on Jan.15 at 11:00 p.m.)

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