NC Weather Forecast: Snow, Sleet, Freezing Rain Expected Again This Week

RALEIGH, NC (WTVD) – For the second time in less than a week, we may be dealing with snow, sleet and freezing rain.

A winter storm watch was issued for much of North Carolina from Thursday evening through Saturday morning.

Cold rain will begin Thursday morning over the entire viewing area of ​​ABC11. Thursday’s highs will be in the upper 40s, but will begin to decline in the afternoon.

Areas near the North Carolina-Virginia border may see this rain turn to snow later today. The heaviest snowfall will occur in the northern part of the ABC11 viewing area.

Temperatures will fall into the low 20s overnight Thursday through Friday, but there will be a break in rainfall.

Right now, the Triangle could get 2-4 inches of snow and areas to the northeast, including Louisburg and Tarboro, would see up to 6 inches.

We will have a better idea of ​​the snowfall forecast on Thursday.

Governor Roy Cooper signed the state of emergency ahead of the storm.

While last weekend’s storm had the greatest impacts on western and central counties, this new storm is expected to bring several inches of snow from the Northeast Triangle to the coast, and up to a half inch of ice accumulation in southeastern counties.

North Carolina Emergency Management is advising people to get their groceries and the essentials they need by Thursday evening. Travel will become hazardous in many parts of eastern North Carolina after this.

Other tips include keeping your cell phones, mobile devices and spare batteries charged in case of a power outage and keeping fresh batteries on hand for weather radios and flashlights.

Also, do not leave pets outside for long periods in freezing weather.

WATCH: First winter weather alert

Friday will start out cold but mostly calm. Then around noon, winter mixing could begin in the Sandhills area and push rapidly north into the Triangle in the early afternoon.

Winter weather will spread across the region with more freezing rain/ice pellets in the south and ice pellets/snow in the north.

The winter storm will last through Friday and early Saturday. Temperatures overnight from Friday to Saturday will drop to around 20 degrees, possibly creating dangerous road conditions on Saturday.

The highs on Saturday will be in the mid-30s and the lows that night will fall into the teens.

SEE ALSO: How to survive power outages in winter

CUMULATIVE ESTIMATES

Sleet and freezing rain are very likely in the Sandhills. A mix of sleet and snow is expected in the Triangle. Areas along and north of Interstate 85 will see mostly snow.

“When we start talking about sleet and ice, it really creates and reinforces those worries about road travel conditions and power outages. We’ve seen that over the weekend as well, so we’re preparing again for this,” the ABC11 meteorologist said. said Kweilyn Murphy.

There is still time for significant changes in the forecast, but at this time First Alert’s weather team is forecasting less than an inch of snow accumulation south of the Triangle. Areas of the Triangle and north and east towards Roanoke Rapids could see between 1 and 4 inches of accumulation.

CLOSURES

Due to potentially adverse weather conditions, some schools and businesses may decide to close. You can check for up-to-date closures here.

If you are in charge of business school closures, the only way to report your organization’s closure or delay to ABC11 is to using our online system. The telephone system that was used in the past is not operational. Your Telephone System ID remains the same and also serves as your online system access code.

If you would like to register your organization with ABC11, please email the following information to [email protected] Please do not send closing information to this email address.

Name of the organization:
Type of organization: (school, church, business, daycare, government office)
Address:
Organization phone number:
Contact:
Contact email:
Contact cell phone: