After snow and freezing temperatures blasted the region Wednesday, local governments in Orange and Chatham County communities are extending closures or delaying openings for residents on Thursday.

After closing its county government offices for all of Wednesday, Chatham County plans to keep its offices and facilities Thursday. After taking the poor road conditions and winter weather into account, the county announced it would shift to a full closure compared to a delayed opening. Similarly, the Town of Pittsboro offices and facilities will remain closed Thursday, extending its Wednesday closure.

Orange County followed suit, announcing a closure of its government offices alongside its Orange County Public Library locations, landfill and county-run transit services for Thursday. Those services initially closed at 12 p.m. on Wednesday.

Many Town of Chapel Hill offices and facilities — including the affordable housing office, parks and recreation facilities and the Chapel Hill Public Library — also closed at noon on Wednesday. Chapel Hill shared an update shortly before noon on Thursday that they will all remain closed Feb. 20 as well. The Chapel Hill Town Council, which was scheduled to meet Wednesday evening, will now hold a work session on Wednesday, March 5.

Chapel Hill Transit — which serves Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and UNC — will resume partial service at 1 p.m. Thursday after suspending all routes Wednesday afternoon. The routes in service until 7 p.m. Thursday are: A, B, CL, CW, D, HS, J, N, NS, RU, S, and U. More information on current Chapel Hill Transit routes, delays and service can be found here.

The Town of Hillsborough, which closed its offices Wednesday afternoon from the storm, will remain closed to the public for Thursday. Parks and trails in the town are closed as well due to the slick conditions, and solid waste collection is being postponed to another day. Additionally, Hillsborough’s joint Board of Commissioners and Planning Board meeting scheduled for Thursday will be rescheduled to a new date.

The Town of Carrboro said because its public works crews is busy brining roads and responding to the storm, solid waste collections for Thursday and Friday are canceled this week.

For the local court systems, both Orange County District Court and Chatham County District Court will be closed for Thursday — marking the second consecutive day of no operations.

Weather Forecast

The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory for Orange and Chatham counties on Tuesday, which was extended until 1 p.m. Thursday as snow and mixed precipitation falls on the Piedmont region. As of Wednesday evening, Orange and Chatham counties reported multiple inches of snow in different areas. NWS forecasts temperatures to not rise above 35 degrees on Thursday, and while little new snow is expected, temperatures will be low enough for what’s on the ground to not quickly melt.

Ahead of the storm, Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina on Tuesday to help mobilize the Department of Transportation, Department of Public Safety, North Carolina National Guard, state utilities and others to help improve preparation and response options.

During a morning press conference, Stein affirmed the main concerns stemming from this storm are for power outages and road conditions. Before Tuesday, more than one million gallons of brine had been used by DOT crews to treat the roads and the state partnered with energy providers to set up response hubs across North Carolina to quickly respond to outages and issues. Locally, town governments prepared their own roads and are sharing ways for their residents to stay prepared.

Safety Tips

During winter weather storms where precipitation freezes and creates ice, the likelihood for power outages increases as ice accumulates and causes objects to fall onto utility lines. The National Weather Service and Ready NC recommend taking several steps to stay safe during power outages — including keeping doors closed to preserve heat, checking safe practices for operating a generator, preparing an emergency kit and keeping devices charged. Chiefly, safety officials warn against using gas-powered machines and grills indoors to stay warm due to the chance for fire or carbon monoxide exposure. If you experience an outage, customers are encouraged to contact their service provider — and refrain from calling 911, which needs to be reserved for active emergencies.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation also urges people to avoid traveling during winter storms unless “absolutely necessary.” For those who do venture onto the 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 and remain in your vehicle after calling for help. People can check local road conditions ahead of time by calling 511, checking DriveNC.gov or checking Facebook posts by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

During periods of freezing temperatures, there are several warming centers and overnight offered to Orange County community members to rest and stay safe. Daytime warming centers include the Orange County Public Library and Passmore Center in Hillsborough, the Efland Cheeks Community Center in Efland, the IFC Commons on West Main Street in Carrboro, and the Seymour Center and Rogers Road Community Center in Chapel Hill. Overnight shelter can also be taken at the IFC shelters in Chapel Hill from 6 p.m. to 8 a.m., as well as the Orange County Shelter at University Baptist Church in Chapel Hill from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. when it’s less than 32 degrees outside.

Photo via the Orange County government.

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