Ice threat rises for Triangle in winter storm's latest forecasts
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Snow chances in North Carolina's Triangle have faded as the risk of sleet and freezing rain rises sharply.
Why it matters: Ice accumulation is expected to cause major disruptions across the region, making roads dangerous and potentially triggering widespread power outages.
Driving the news: Precipitation in central North Carolina is now expected to fall as sleet or freezing rain, not snow, forecasters said Friday.
- The storm is forecast to begin late Saturday afternoon, around 7pm, and continue into Sunday night.
- Below-freezing temperatures are expected to refreeze the ice night after night, the latest seven-day forecast shows. Even during the day, temperatures are not forecast to get out of the 30s before next Friday
- The most bitter cold will be early Tuesday morning, when forecasts call for temperatures in the low-teens.
What they're saying: Gov. Josh Stein urged residents to get supplies now and stay off the roads starting Saturday.
- "Be ready to stay home for a few days, potentially without power, and know that we are taking this storm seriously and we will do everything we can to keep you safe," Stein said Thursday at a media briefing in Raleigh.
Threat level: Duke Energy says it's brought in crews from across the nation and has 18,000 workers stationed in the Carolinas.
- The state activated the National Guard for rescues on the ground and by air. Highway Patrol is also on standby.
- Stein says it's fortunate the storm is arriving on a weekend, when fewer people are commuting, but warned that "it does raise risks on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, with the black ice that will be on the highways."
By the numbers: For the Triangle, the NWS forecast calls for over 1 inch of sleet, plus ice accumulations approaching 0.75 inches by Sunday night.
- Nick Petro, a meteorologist with NWS Raleigh, said in a briefing that "once you get above a quarter inch of ice accumulation, that's where you start to see tree limbs breaking and power outages."
State of play: What initially looked like ripe conditions for several inches of snow in the Triangle have quickly shifted into a freezing rain threat.
- That's because warmer air from the south is expected to influence the highest parts of the atmosphere, while surface temperatures are near freezing.
- Northern parts of the Triangle and areas near the Virginia border could still see snow pile up, but most accumulated precipitation is expected to fall as sleet.
Zoom out: State authorities say they are particularly worried about outages and road conditions in the mountains.
- Emergency Management Director William Ray says southwestern North Carolina should expect "considerable disruptions to daily life, with dangerous and often impassable driving conditions, as well as widespread power outages and damage to trees."
Editor's note: We've updated this story with the latest details about the storm.