ORANGE COUNTY – About six inches of snow fell on Orange County on Wednesday, causing massive traffic jams across the area – and the unprecedented cancellation of the scheduled UNC-Duke basketball game.

And it’s nowhere near over: the snow has turned into sleet and freezing rain in much of the Triangle, and National Weather Service meteorologist Nick Petro says he expects “a quarter to a half an inch” of ice accumulation as well.

That much accumulation has the potential to cause power outages, as ice weighs down branches and power lines. Tens of thousands of Duke Energy Progress customers lost power on Wednesday in southeastern North Carolina.

And Petro says there will be more snow as well: “The precipitation type should go back to snow during the day (Thursday); one to three inches of additional snow may fall.”

UNC and Duke have cancelled classes all day Thursday, as have the area’s school districts (CHCCS, Orange, Durham, and Chatham).

Click here for a complete list of closings and delays.

Traffic jams across the Triangle were widespread and massive, as drivers reported taking hours and hours to travel distances that usually only take a few minutes – and some drivers gave up altogether, abandoned their vehicles and walked. The UNC-Duke basketball game was cancelled after the charter bus scheduled to bring the Duke team to the Smith Center couldn’t even get to Duke’s campus to pick up the players.

The precipitation is expected to end on Thursday afternoon – the Winter Storm Warning in effect for the Triangle expires Thursday afternoon at 6:00 – but Petro says it’ll take even longer for the area to return to normal.

“Impacts are going to be long-lasting because it’s going to take a while to get rid of all this ice,” he says. “Temperatures are going to stay cold (Thursday) night, struggling into the mid- to upper 30s even on Friday. So it’s going to take a while to get this all cleaned up.”

Related Stories
‹
Analyzing The Significance of The UNC-Duke Rivalry in The White Lotus Season 3
The White Lotus season three uses the UNC-Duke rivalry to make a deeper point about a family of main characters.
Photo Gallery: Chapel Hill Sees First Snow in Years
For a few hours over the weekend, the greater Chapel Hill community was in a winter wonderland. A winter storm blanketed Orange County and the surrounding area with a thin layer of snow on Friday. Overnight on Saturday, it was later packed down or rinse away by freezing rain, which its own layer of ice […]
‘Life-Saving Skills’: UNC’s Dive In Offers Free Swim Lessons to North Carolina Families
Story by Isabella Reilly It’s loud at the pool on Sundays. Laughter and the sounds of splashing water echo off the walls at Bowman Gray Memorial Pool as children and their families shuffle in at 12:55 p.m. With a few minutes to spare, kids in colorful bathing suits grab pool noodles and kick off […]
Founder of Prestigious UNC-Duke Scholarship Program Dies at 90
Julian Robertson, a billionaire hedge fund manager and the benefactor of a well-known scholarship program at Duke University and UNC, died on Tuesday. A spokesperson for Robertson told national media outlets the North Carolina native died in his New York home from “cardiac complications.” He was 90 years old. Initially from Salisbury, N.C., Robertson graduated […]
UNC Expert Offers Tips on How To Combat COVID-19 Misinformation in Public Health
The spread of misinformation plays a big role in what health decisions people choose to make during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Duke, UNC Experts: COVID Vaccine for Ages 5-11 Expected by Late 2021
As the COVID-19 delta variant continues to spread across the country, and the academic year looms on the horizon, public health officials are working to vaccinate as much of the population as possible – including young children.
Duke University to Require COVID-19 Vaccination Before Fall Enrollment
Leadership for Duke University announced all students returning to its campus for the upcoming fall semester must have COVID-19 vaccinations before enrollment. In a message to the campus community on Friday, Duke President Vincent E. Price shared an update to the university’s enrollment requirements, saying all new and returning students will need to present proof […]
UNC, Chapel Hill Leaders Discourage Gathering Ahead of UNC-Duke Game
Ahead of the UNC - Duke basketball game on Saturday, university and Chapel Hill officials are asking the campus community to abstain from Franklin Street celebrations if the Tar Heels see another win.
Duke, UNC Announce New Executive Director for Robertson Scholars Leadership Program
A scholarship program for both UNC and Duke University students will be under new leadership as the universities prepare for spring semesters. The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program announced Monday Andrew Lakis has been tapped to be its new executive director. Lakis, Duke alumnus and a former Trinity Scholar, has served as executive director of Teach For […]
Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Orange County, Parts of Chatham
The National Winter Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for Orange County and Chatham County, as well as other counties in the region, for the upcoming days. Rainy weather is expected to turn to snow flurries over the course of Thursday, February 20, according to the department. By Thursday night, snow fall and […]
›