ROBESON COUNTY — Weather forecasters are expecting that seven to nine inches of snow could fall across Robeson County this weekend as Winter Storm Gianna impacts the Carolinas and beyond.
A Winter Storm Watch is in effect for Robeson from 1 a.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday. The Extreme Cold Watch is in effect from 6 p.m. Saturday to 10 a.m. Sunday.
The NWS is forecasting for a significant snowfall beginning Saturday morning and continuing through Sunday afternoon. Forecast possibilities still vary, but the most likely outcome is about seven to nine inches of snow, with locally higher amounts possible. The NWS has “high confidence” in a significant snowfall and “very strong confidence” in extreme cold as of Thursday afternoon.
“This could be one of the biggest snow storms we’ve ever had,” said Bob Bright, a meteorologist at the NWS office in Wilmington. “Very unusually cold. … It’s definitely unusual. Just try to take those precautions and stay warm, check on your elderly. Whenever it gets cold we talk about the four P’s: people, plants, pets and pipes.”
The heaviest snow is expected Saturday night into Sunday morning. Blizzard conditions may exist through some of the storm, with winds around 15 mph and gusting up to 25 to 35 mph.
“During the day (Saturday), there’s a little uncertainty with the overall forecast, but it’s probably going to be some off and on snow and it could be heavy at times,” Bright said. “Probably the worst period will be (Saturday) night, that looks like it’s going to be more of the steadier, heavier precipitation.”
The NWS is categorizing the expected impacts to Robeson County and the surrounding area as “major impacts,” which entails to “expect considerable disruptions to daily life. Dangerous driving conditions possible. Avoid travel if possible. Widespread closures and disruptions to infrastructure may occur.”
The NWS says that its “low end amount” for snowfall in Robeson County is two inches, with a 90% chance of more snowfall; its “high end snowfall” is 12 inches, with a 90% chance of less snowfall.
Forecasts indicate a 95% chance of two inches or more of snow in Robeson County, a 76% chance of four inches or more, a 60% chance of six inches or more, a 44% chance of eight inches or more and a 12% chance of 12 inches or more.
The public should delay travel during this storm if possible, the NWS says. If travel is absolutely necessary, drive with extreme caution and be prepared for sudden changes in visibility. Leave plenty of room between yourself and the motorist in front of you, and allow extra time to reach your destination. Avoid sudden braking and acceleration and be especially cautious on hills or when making turns. Make sure your car is winterized and in good working order.
The Winter Storm Warning accounts for the forecast for snow; the Extreme Cold Warning, meanwhile, pertains to the bitterly cold temperatures which are forecast through the weekend. Overnight lows are expected to be 15 degrees on Saturday night, 8 degrees Sunday night and 9 degrees Monday night; on Saturday night and Sunday night, wind chills could reach as low as 0 degrees.
“Breezy conditions, cold. It shouldn’t even get to 30 (Saturday), and then way down in the teens (Saturday) night,” Bright said. “Sunday probably staying below freezing or at freezing, and then Sunday night looks like the coldest, temperatures probably around 10 degrees. The wind chills (Saturday) night and Sunday night will probably get down to around zero degrees. So quite cold, unusually cold.”
Temperatures this cold can result in hypothermia or frostbite on exposed skin, the NWS says. It encourages people to dress in layers including a hat, face mask and gloves if you must go outside at all.
“Hopefully you’re indoors and don’t have to be outside,” Bright said. “If you do have to be outside, just making sure you’re dressed appropriately; dress in layers, a lot of layers if you can, loose-fitting clothes. If you do lose power or anything like that inside, just make sure you’re aware of heating sources; obviously candles or generators could pose more of a safety risk. …
The temperature is not expected to get above freezing (32 degrees) at any point before Monday afternoon, which means that any accumulation will not melt during that time. After a forecast high of 37 degrees on Monday, the overnight low Monday night is forecast as 13 degrees.
“An extended period of cold, freezing temperatures, so anything that falls is not going to melt away very fast,” Bright said. “Definitely a long period of hazardous travel conditions and dangerous cold for anyone that’s out. If anyone loses power, that’s going to be a big concern.”
With this system expected to be almost entirely comprised of snow, with no freezing rain or sleet, the chance of power outages is considered to be less likely than in last weekend’s ice storm, which Robeson County came through with only a few outages.
“With this storm, with it being so cold, the snow is going to be powdery, real fluffy, and it’s not going to stick to power lines and things like that. So the risk of a power outage is pretty low. Obviously with breezy conditions and stuff, there could be some isolated outages, but definitely not a huge concern.”
Hazardous roads, however, are likely through early next week, as whatever accumulates is expected to not melt until Monday at the earliest, and possibly Tuesday or later.
“Because it’s been so cold … once the precipitation does start falling it should stick pretty readily, and kind of make it start getting slick,” Bright said. “On the plus side, there’s not going to be freezing rain and ice mixed in, it should all be snow, which is a little easier to drive on, but for a lot of people around here we’re not really used to that, so from that perspective it really could be hazardous for most people that aren’t equipped.”
Robeson County’s Emergency Operations Center is under a hybrid activation as of Friday evening, which means that some personnel are at the facility and some are not there, but if anything worsens they will come in, according to Emily Jones, Robeson County’s Public Information Officer.
The N.C. Department of Transportation has been putting brine on roads statewide, including in Robeson County, over the last few days. The saltwater solution helps keep ice from forming on roads. NCDOT says it has spread more than 3.2 million gallons of brine on roads statewide as of Friday afternoon.
“Snowfall is expected to impact much of North Carolina this weekend, which could disrupt daily life for several days,” Gov. Josh Stein said on Friday, one day after declaring a State of Emergency. “Snow accumulation, strong winds and dangerously cold temperatures will make travel unsafe, so I urge people to prepare now and stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary. I’m grateful to the emergency and first responders who have been working their tails off to keep us safe through these back-to-back weather events. Please continue to stay informed, take precautions, and check on your neighbors as we work together to get through the days ahead.”
The Public Schools of Robeson County canceled all extracurricular activities scheduled for Saturday, including athletic events and driver’s education. Any additional changes to normal operations will be announced by noon on Sunday, the district said.
The City of Lumberton and Town of Red Springs each declared a State of Emergency on Friday. Lumberton will announce plans for Monday city operations by midday Sunday.
“City officials continue to monitor conditions and coordinate with public safety and partner agencies. Additional updates will be shared as conditions evolve,” a social media post by the City of Lumberton states.
The Robeson County Board of Commissioners meeting which was scheduled for Monday morning has been canceled.
Robeson County White Flag Shelters are available Saturday and Sunday nights at the following locations for anyone who needs a place to stay warm:
— Lumberton Christian Care, 220 East Second Street, Lumberton
— Eden Global Ministries, 1202 North pine Street, Lumberton
— Robeson County Church & Community Center, 590 West Fifth Street, Lumberton; arrival is from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Editor Chris Stiles can be reached at 910-416-5847 or by email at [email protected].
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