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.
Posted — UpdatedWhat 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
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.
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.
"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.
"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.
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.
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.
Even if conditions improve by Sunday afternoon, roads will be slick Monday morning in any areas that remain wet after they refreeze overnight.
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.
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.
In Fayetteville, ice was on tree branches and cars, but roads were mostly wet from all the rain that has fallen.
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.
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.
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.
Road conditions are expecetd to get worse throughout the morning as freezing rain falls and road surfaces stay cold.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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