Winter weather is approaching the Tar Heel state and could cause travel issues late Monday evening though mid-day Tuesday. The impending weather prompted Governor Pat McCrory to declare a state of emergency.
Listen to the full press conference with Governor McCrory and other state officials below:
Shawna Coakley, Meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh, says the projected forecast calls for snow Monday afternoon.
“We’re looking probably to see some of that starting around 3 [or] 4 o’clock,” she says. “The real active stuff probably won’t ramp up until this evening; we’re looking around 7 [or] 8 o’clock.
“We’ll see a switch over to more of a sleet and freezing rain situation. That could make for some potentially hazardous travel. And that’ll continue through the overnight hours and then start to move out in the morning hours on Tuesday.”
Brad Wall, Division Maintenance Engineer with the NC Department of Transportation, says that they have been preparing for this after getting a reliable forecast.
“On Sunday, we applied salt brine as conditions allowed and as time allowed,” he says. “Today, we are preparing our trucks: getting the spreaders on, getting the plows on and we’ll have them loaded out with salt.”
With the cold temperatures in recent days, Wall says that he is expecting the winter weather to begin accumulating quickly once it starts falling. That could lead to dangerous road conditions late Monday and into Tuesday morning.
The State Highway Patrol also released tips to stay safe during the winter weather, including avoid travel unless necessary, decrease speed, and wear your seatbelt. State troopers also encourage you to allow additional travel time. Law enforcement also cautions that, if you are in an accident, they may require additional response time due to the conditions.
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