Stein declares state of emergency ahead of North Carolina snowstorm
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The National Weather Service's Tuesday evening snowfall forecast. Photo: NWS Raleigh
Snow is expected to start falling across the Triangle starting late Wednesday morning and continue into Thursday morning. If the forecast holds, it'll be the third snowfall this winter for a region that has seen few snow events in recent years.
Why it matters: The snow could create hazardous driving conditions starting Wednesday afternoon and lead to a small number of power outages, according to meteorologists with the National Weather Service's Raleigh office.
Zoom in: Areas north of U.S. 64, which runs through central Wake County, are expected to see the heaviest snowfall, with counties bordering Virginia getting the most.
- Most of the Triangle could get between one to three inches. More could fall north of Raleigh, and parts of northeastern North Carolina may be in for six to eight inches.
Driving the news: North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency on Tuesday ahead of the storm's arrival.
- "Most of North Carolina will be impacted by this storm, and our greatest concerns are potential power outages and road safety," Stein said in a statement. "We urge all travelers to stay off the road once the storm hits on Wednesday, to keep their devices charged, and to monitor local weather."
- The governor's office noted that 1.8 million gallons of brine had been spread on the state's roads as of Tuesday morning to prepare roads for the accumulation of snow and ice.
- In response to the storm, Wake County schools canceled classes on Wednesday and Durham Public Schools and Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools moved to remote instruction.
State of play: Areas south of U.S. 64 are likely to see more freezing rain and sleet, with areas east of Interstate 95 getting the highest amounts of ice.
- Ice accumulation could lead to power outages across central and eastern North Carolina.
- The models are still uncertain on how much sleet could fall in the southern portion of central North Carolina, but one inch of sleet would cause problems, Nick Petro, NWS Raleigh's warning coordination meteorologist, said in a news briefing.