With a massive winter storm forecasted to affect a deal of the southern United States this weekend, many Orange County community members are preparing for frigid temperatures and precipitation that could create travel, infrastructure and safety complications.
Current projections for the storm indicate a multi-day winter weather event, with high chances of poor road conditions and power outages across the Triangle area and well beyond. The primary band of snow is north of Orange County, but the area could see freezing rain, sleet and ice from potentially late Friday, Jan. 23 well into Sunday, Jan. 25.
To help prepare for inclement weather or storm-related emergencies, many local governments and organizations are making information and resources available. Some of those include:
- Orange County’s Frequently Asked Questions page for emergency services information and alerts, downed tree reporting, and more
- Orange County’s cold weather shelter at 828 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in Chapel Hill (7 p.m. to 7 a.m.)
- IFC’s daily Community House shelter
- Orange County Emergency Services’ Winter Storm Preparedness Guide
- Chapel Hill’s Emergency Updates webpage
- Carrboro’s Cold Weather Response plan and Roadway Hazard Reduction
- Hillsborough’s Cold Weather Resources
- Hillsborough’s water-related emergencies line (919-732-3621)
- South Orange Rescue Squad’s winter weather post as part of the “South Orange Dispatch”
- Mutual aid groups such as The Community Justice and Abolition Collective have set up collection boxes in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area and are asking for tents, sleeping bags, coats, and other supplies.
Other safety, weather preparation, and utility resources include:
- ReadyNC Winter Weather information
- Winter weather preparation information from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- Live NWS Weather Radar
- Disaster NC Information Center
Power Outages
As of freezing rain accumulates on tree branches and power lines, the chance of experiencing power outages increases. With a storm of this magnitude, many energy providers may have a wide swath of service areas to cover and make repairs. As a result, Orange County residents ought to be prepared for a potential, extended outages.
If your power or gas heat goes out, here are ways to contact or track your energy provider:
- Duke Energy Outage Materials, like an Outage Map, outage reporting options and the Duke Energy App
- Piedmont Electric outage materials: call 1-800-222-3107 to report an outage, and view its outage map.
- Enbridge Gas’ energy saving tips and help line (1-877-776-2427)
Winter Weather Driving Tips
During severe winter weather, the North Carolina Department of Transportation urges people to avoid traveling during storms unless “absolutely necessary.” For those who do venture onto snowy or icy roads, the state department requests people drive at slower speeds, leave plenty of room between themselves and others, and clear all ice or snow from a vehicle before traveling. If you become stranded while driving, safely pull off the road, remain in your vehicle and call for help. More safety tips regarding winter weather driving and traffic updates from the state department can be found here.
For road closures or updates on crashes, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office shares regular updates during inclement weather on its Facebook page, and the Town of Chapel Hill shares alerts on its Emergency Updates page.
97.9 The Hill Broadcasts and Chapelboro Updates
The Chapel Hill Media Group news team will keep readers and listeners updated on Chapelboro and 97.9 The Hill (97.9 FM).
While in past storms the radio station has relied on its AM frequency during power outages, damage to broadcast equipment from major flooding in July 2025 limits our ability to broadcast that signal. If power goes out, we will do our best to continue bringing you critical weather coverage on 97.9 FM and Chapelboro.com. Be sure to check our social media pages for updates on broadcasts, programming and breaking news updates.
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