Slick roads across North Carolina have contributed to hundreds of wrecks, as state and local officials urge drivers to keep off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
Snow, ice and freezing rain in different parts of the state have contributed to the State Highway Patrol responding to more than 400 crashes through Sunday afternoon.
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The roads remain icy despite the efforts of more than 3,500 state Department of Transportation workers and contractors who have been out in recent days coating roads with hundreds of thousands of gallons of brine and more than 32,000 tons of salt.
"Road conditions will remain dangerous into next week," Gov. Josh Stein said in a briefing Sunday. "If you have to drive, drive much slower than normal. Give much more distance than normal so that you have more time to respond. Do not make sharp turns or a sudden stop."
NCDOT maintenance engineer Doug McNeal told reporters at a Sunday press conference that the weather has been so cold, it's hampered salt and brine on the roads from activating and helping melt any snow or ice that fell on top.
"With cold temperatures, it delays some of the activation of the salt," McNeal said. "And so we're still pretty white out there. Looking forward, we're expecting temperatures to start to raise, and that'll be a positive thing. We'll start seeing activations of salt."
WRAL meteorologists forecast that temperatures could reach above freezing Monday and Tuesday, although highs will stay in the 30s. Across central North Carolina, a brief halt in precipitation is expected Sunday afternoon, but more snow, ice or freezing rain could begin again Sunday evening.
In addition to the hundreds of crashes state troopers responded to Saturday night and Sunday, local police and sheriff's deputies have also had calls come in due to the storm, which is affecting nearly every county in North Carolina.
“Unless you’re an Olympic bobsledder, you don’t need to be out on the roads this morning,” Roxboro Police Chief David Hess told WRAL early Sunday. “They are solid sheets of ice.”
If you do have to drive, WRAL has tips for getting your car de-iced and ready to go.
In case of power outages along the road, remember to treat non-working traffic lights like an all-way stop.
Speaking with reporters last week ahead of the storm, Stein said state workers had put hundreds of thousands of gallons of brine down on roads as part of storm preparations. Emergency responders and rescue squads were also pre-positioned near areas with steep climbs or other factors that officials believed would make those spots riskier for crashes.
The latest: Sunday, Jan. 25
3:25 p.m.: Not their day job: Troops from the North Carolina National Guard's 5-113th Field Artillery Regiment, based in Louisburg, posted a photo on Facebook showing them responding to a stranded vehicle on the side of the road. They're expected to have had it towed rather than used for artillery practice, as the state has been towing hundreds of stranded cars this weekend. About 1,000 National Guard troops are deployed across the state to help first responders.
3:04 p.m.: A new wave of storms is expected to hit central North Carolina by 5 or 6 p.m., WRAL meteorologist Kat Campbell says. It's expected to cause ice to re-form on roads overnight, even those that have been cleared. But just how bad the roads become heading into Sunday night and Monday morning could depend on exactly how much precipitation falls, and how warm or cold it gets, in different parts of the state. "The next few hours will be critical as to just how much could pile up over night," she said.
3:00 p.m.: In Moore County, a truck slid and flipped onto its side on N.C. Highway 211 near Domino Drive. NC 211 was briefly blocked. The truck driver was not seriously injured.
2:35 p.m.: Even though some of the state's highways have been cleared by snow plows, many side roads are still icy. WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth warns: "Just be careful if you have to go out and about. Certainly the neighborhood roads are still covered."
2:01 p.m.: A Duke Energy spokesman says some of the power outages in North Carolina aren't due to ice on their wires, or trees falling, but rather because of vehicles running into telephone polls when they slide off the road: "That's another reason why, please, stay off the roads."
1:37 p.m.: Roads are still largely snow- and ice-covered in Durham, according to a video posted by Durham Police. Pavement can barely be seen, even on major highways.
12:47 p.m.: Snow plows are moving down some of the state's highways and even a few secondary streets. But it's still just 20 degrees outside in the Triangle, and with a second wave of freezing rain expected Sunday evening, wet roads are likely to turn icy again overnight.
11:30 a.m.: The North Carolina Highway Patrol has responded to more than 400 crashes so far, Gov. Josh Stein tells reporters. "Stay off the roads," Stein said. "Black ice is going to stick around for a few days. Every night this week, we're going to get below freezing. So whatever precipitation is on the ground is going to turn to ice overnight."
11:26 a.m.: Traffic is so light in downtown Apex that one intrepid local resident is out cross-country skiing in the middle of Salem Street, WRAL's Megan Cloherty reports.
10:39 a.m.: Thousands of state employees have been out across North Carolina in heavy equipment working to spread salt and get snow plows underway. Their main focus Sunday is on clearing the highways, and by Monday crews might be in position to move onto some of the state's bigger secondary roads. "Residential neighborhoods, it's going to take a while," NCDOT engineer Doug McNeal said.
10:30 a.m.: NC DOT holds a press conference on road updates. McNeal says roads are nearly empty statewide and credits local media for warning people to stay home, since the lack of traffic and wrecks has helped power crews and emergency vehicles get where they need to go quickly. "We're very pleased to see the number of cars drop off very quickly last night, and I think that has a lot to do with the work that you guys do in getting the word out and showing the conditions out there," he told reporters at a DOT facility in Raleigh.
9:44 a.m.: The Rocky Mount Police Department posts photos to Facebook that their officers took of multiple intersections in town, with no vehicles in sight. “Road conditions are extremely hazardous and they are expected to worsen throughout the day. As you can see in the photos, everyone is doing a great job staying off the road, and we are grateful,” the post said.
8:52 a.m.: Even though temperatures should get above freezing Monday and Tuesday, WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth says, the expected highs are still just in the 30s. The ice covering some roads could melt over the coming days, but other roads might stay slick through Wednesday.
8:36 a.m. Pedestrians have started venturing out on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, walking their dogs or getting a glimpse of the ice and snow in the daylight, WRAL’s Flynn Snyder reports. Only a handful of drivers are venturing out on the strip near N.C. State University's campus. Overlooking Capital Boulevard coming into downtown Raleigh, WRAL's Heidi Kirk notes there's not a single car on what's normally one of the Triangle's busiest roads.
8:09 a.m.: In Johnston County, tree crews and utility contractors seem to be among the few drivers on local roads. One traveller tells WRAL that he got off I-95 after he felt it getting more dangerous. “You’ve got no traction right now,” Christopher Hannan, an emergency nurse travelling to Goldsboro, said. “It’s freezing and getting harder.”
8:03 a.m.: Snow and ice keep piling up across central North Carolina. “We’re starting to see conditions deteriorate even more,” WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth says.
7:54: WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said the sun is expected to come back out on Monday. Even though the temperatures will remain cold, the sunshine could help some thinner layers of ice start to melt away. “That’s going to help things dramatically,” she said.
7:41 a.m.: In downtown Raleigh, employees at Hyatt House hotel tell WRAL they're pleased the company put all its employees up in rooms for the night, so they didn't have to risk driving into work. "It makes you feel real good," Irish Robertson said. "We are safe and secure. We don’t have to worry about how we are going to get to work. Even with our families. Our families come with you. It’s pretty good."
6:30 a.m.: Roxboro Police Chief David Hess urges people to stay off the roads if they can. “I would just encourage folks to stay home,” he said in an interview. “Your safety and ours matters. Enjoy a majestic morning with a warm drink, and avoid turning it into tragedy by being out on these roads.”
6 a.m.: The NC Highway Patrol tells WRAL its troopers have already responded to 200 crashes statewide as the storm swept in overnight.
