Greensboro expecting 3 inches of snow, slick roads

Add highway travelers to the mix as they journey to weekend destinations, and the region’s roads could become especially treacherous.

The weather threat prompted Guilford County Schools to schedule a remote learning day on Friday.

In all, up to 3 inches of snow, along with some sleet and freezing rain, are expected by the time the system moves out of the Triad Saturday morning.

However, “don’t focus so much on how much” could fall, warned Nick Petro, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office. “I’d rather have you focus on hazards and impacts.”

Regardless of the totals, there will be enough frozen precipitation on the ground to complicate travel Friday evening through Saturday, he said.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a light glaze, a dusting of snow or 2 or 3 inches of snow,” Petro added. “It’s all going to be the same result: slick roads.”

Forsyth and Guilford counties can expect snowfall beginning at around 3 p.m. Friday, the weather service said Thursday. That means a layer of snow could cover roadways by the time rush hour rolls along.

Some sleet and freezing rain are possible after midnight, but most precipitation should be in the form of snow in the Triad.

Officials in Winston-Salem and Greensboro said Thursday that crews in both cities were continuing to apply saltwater brine on roads as the fast-moving storm approaches from the west.

Greensboro on Thursday launched an interactive online map to track road clearing in real time. It can be accessed at Greensboro-nc.gov/snowmap.

Also Thursday, about 1,400 Duke Energy customers in east Greensboro were without power as the company repaired damage to a substation serving the Liberty Hill area.

“This issue was recently identified during a routine inspection, and it was determined Wednesday that the substation required an immediate equipment replacement,” Duke spokesman Jeff Brooks said in an email. “The repair and outage were necessary to prevent an equipment failure and a potentially longer outage for customers, especially important given the upcoming winter storm.”

Service was suspended at 9 a.m. and was restored before 5 p.m. Affected customers were alerted by phone and text, Brooks said.

“We apologize for this inconvenience during a period of cold temperatures and appreciate the patience of our customers as we work to restore service as quickly as possible,” he added.

The temperature in Greensboro was 21 degrees at 7 a.m. and climbed only into the mid-30s later in the day.

Looking ahead, the approaching weather system should move out of the Triad completely by 9 a.m. Saturday as skies clear and high temperatures reach about 40 degrees under mostly sunny skies, according to the weather service.

However, wet areas could refreeze for a few nights, Petro cautioned.

Forecasters say areas to the south of Forsyth and Guilford counties will be slightly warmer and likely see more sleet and freezing rain Friday night and early Saturday morning.

Piedmont Triad International Airport said Thursday it would continue to operate regardless of the weather but advised passengers to check with their airlines for the status of flights, some which may be impacted by storm-related cancelations or delays elsewhere.

Statewide, more than 1,100 North Carolina Department of Transportation had applied 633,000 gallons of brine on roads as of 9 a.m. Thursday, the agency said.

Brine lowers the freezing temperature of water to about 18 degrees.

NCDOT also asked residents to stay home when the storm hits.

“Travel could be treacherous across much of the state through the weekend,” said Transportation Secretary Joey Hopkins. “We encourage non-essential travel to be limited to allow crews time to safely clear roads.”