More than 12M in Southeast bracing for snowstorm; Charlotte, Raleigh under winter weather alerts

[Omaha Steve]

Source: USA Today

Doyle Rice

A winter storm was forecast to bring snow to portions of the Carolinas and Virginia on Thursday, and over 12 million people were under some form of winter weather alert, including the Charlotte and Raleigh metro areas.

AccuWeather predicted 1-3 inches of snow over a large part of North Carolina and southern Virginia; 3-6 inches was likely over the southern Appalachians and part of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia.

The storm will bring dangerous conditions for drivers, CNN said, as black ice and snow accumulate on roads. Many school systems in North Carolina closed on Thursday in advance of the storm.

Government offices in Durham County closed early, and Durham Public Schools, a district with more than 32,000 students, closed its schools Thursday.


Read more: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/20/winter-storm-nc-carolinas-virginia-brace-up-6-inches-snow/4819298002/

[paleotn]

1. Weirdsville....

Up here in the north country, we've not had much snow at all. Only one really big storm so far. A few minor ones. My town's sand and salt pile is way bigger than it was this time last year. The snowblower hasn't seen much action at all and feels neglected. Not all that cold either, with only occasional lows below zero. NWS is calling for highs in the 40's by first of the week. Weird. Now watch March kick us in our rears.

[Red Mountain]

2. Ground temps are in the 45-50 range

So if it accumulates on road surfaces it's largely dependent on the rate at which it falls. It has to fall fast enough to insulate itself from the warm pavement to persist. Even then, it's slushy. More than enough to slow some drivers down way below the speed limit and seemingly encourage others to speed up. Sigh.

That said, Durham schools were closed today and will be tomorrow. Easy call for them. They build snow days into the schedule and these are the first flakes we've seen this winter. Prior to this storm we've been asking how long it's been without seeing any snowflakes over a winter at all.

NCDOT has been out trying to use up a year's worth of brine for this minor event.

If this happened once a week would the kids be in school tomorrow? Absolutely.

We Piedmont Tarheels appreciate an excuse to celebrate a little bit of (unusual for us) weather.

[OldBaldy1701E]

3. Trust me...

As a NC transplant here in the snowy north, I always laugh at those up here who want to make jokes about how we close the state for an inch of snow. Of course, it being NC, that means an equal amount of ice and said ice usually happens first, then the snow covers it. One lawsuit from the parent of a school age child, and you will understand why they do so. Plus, after being up here for four years, I can tell you they don't know how to drive in it any better than we do. They are just used to pure snow, which is similar to driving in sand. Any beach boy can handle it. But, when one of those icy-type snows happen, these ditches and medians are just as full as those on I-40 between Durham and Raleigh.

[Delphinus]

4. NE Indiana here ...

wishing we could have some of that snow. Not that I ski or skate or anything like that - I just happen to like snow.

Hope all can stay safe!