Home Care In Raleigh, NC

Central North Carolina should see rain before a mix of freezing rain or sleet and snow sweeps across the area.

Light rain is expected Wednesday, Feb. 4, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas west of US-1 should expect a quarter-inch to a half-inch of rain, and areas east of US-1 should expect slightly more rain, around a half-inch to 1 inch.

The rain will transition to a mix of freezing rain or sleet and snow across the north of central North Carolina starting Wednesday evening. The transition will continue southward through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, Feb. 5.

Where will it snow?

If snow accumulates in the Triangle, it should be less than a half-inch. Best chances for accumulating snow are areas north of Interstate 85 and near the Virginia border. Little or no snow accumulation is expected south of the US-64 corridor.

Minor ice accumulations are possible across the region — in general, less than 0.1 inches. The highest amounts would be across southern and eastern portions of central North Carolina.

Precipitation should clear out of the area Thursday morning.

Impacts from this wintry precipitation

Travel conditions may be hazardous Thursday morning, especially where snow or freezing rain accumulates.

Overnight temperatures in the Triangle are expected to be in the 20s, which could lead to black ice.

A winter weather advisory is in effect from 6 p.m. Wednesday to 10 a.m. Thursday.

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Another winter storm, known as a bomb cyclone, hit parts of Central North Carolina for the second consecutive weekend.

Several weather alerts were issued for the ABC11 viewing area, including a winter storm warning and extreme cold warning. Heavy snow fell across the Triangle and much of North Carolina.

The National Weather Service office in Raleigh warned that wind chills will drop early Monday to near zero Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius). "Snow and ice will linger, with refreezing tonight making travel hazardous," the office said Sunday on social media. "Use caution on roads and dress in warm layers."

In eastern North Carolina, James City recorded 18 inches of snow, while Swansboro recorded 17 inches, the weather service reported.

The bomb cyclone, known to meteorologists as an intense, rapidly strengthening weather system, contributed to nearly a foot of snow in and around Charlotte. The snowfall represented a top-five snow event all-time there, the NWS said.

Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 in the U.S. on Saturday, with at least another 1,800 on Sunday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking and data company. More than 800 of those Sunday cancellations were for flights departing from or arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The storm caused an hours-long mess on Interstate 85 northeast of the city, after a crash left dozens of semitractors and other vehicles backed up into Saturday evening, according to the State Highway Patrol. More than 1,000 traffic collisions and two road deaths were reported, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Sunday.

Last week's storm blanketed the area with ice and kept schools closed for most of the week. However, most schools had remote learning days. Business owners said they were hurt by the storm because they had to close early or couldn't open at all.

The Associated Press contributed

TALLAHASSEE - The Florida State women's basketball team (7-15, 2-8 ACC) will travel North to face NC State (15-7, 8-3 ACC) on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Reynolds Gym.

NC State holds the series lead over FSU 37-17 and received votes in both the latest AP and USA Today Coaches polls.

Florida State has five players averaging at least 8.0 points per game, led by Sole Williams, who is averaging 15.4 points per game.

As a team, the Seminoles are second in the ACC in three pointers per game, with 8.3 per game. Williams leads the team with 41 threes made this season, ranking in the top 10 in the ACC. Florida State ranks second in the ACC in free throws made per game at 14.18, as Williams ranks second in percentage at 84.4, followed by Jasmine Shavers at 84.3 in fourth.

The game will air on the ACC Network with Mark Neely and Angel Gray on the call. The Seminole Sport Network can be found on 96.5 The Spear and on the Sirius XM app with Jack Kavovit and Melissa Bruner.

The Last Time Out Florida State fell to Clemson 77-58 on Feb. 1 at the Littlejohn Coliseum in Clemson, South Carolina.

The Seminoles were paced by Williams, who finished with 23 points, leading all scorers. She finished 9-of-18, shooting 50 percent from the field and accounted for more than half of Florida State's first-half scoring. Tatum Greene anchored the effort on the boards, leading the team with nine rebounds while adding seven points.

Shavers added eight points over the course of the game, while Pania Davis chipped in four points and three rebounds in just over two minutes of action in the fourth quarter.

For more updates on FSU women's basketball, follow the team on Instagram (FSUWBB), X (FSUWBB) and Facebook (FSUWomensBasketball).

Forecasts were calling for 6 to 12 inches of snow somewhere — maybe everywhere — in central North Carolina over the weekend but Lesleigh Hastings already was seeing an avalanche by Thursday noon at Burke Brothers Hardware on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.

“I’ve probably answered 400 phone calls about ice melt,” Hastings said. “There is no ice melt to be found anywhere. Everyone wants ice melt. We had six or eight pallets last weekend and they were gone in about 30 minutes.

“The good news is, the snow that’s coming is nice fluffy snow. Snow shovels are what you’re going to need for this.”

But, surprise! Those were about to sell out, too. Sleds had been gone for hours.

With predictions for possibly the biggest snowfall in a couple of decades scattering pink and blue across the state’s weekend weather maps, people were finally driven out of their houses, stepping gingerly across driveways still icy from last week’s storm, to go in search of replenishment rations.

They had eaten the bread and drunk the milk they bought a week ago. They were tired of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, tired of the cold, tired of each other. Faced with being stuck inside for three more days, they were going to the store whether they needed to or not.

Deep in the aisles of a Home Depot off Retail Drive in Wake Forest, Deborah Glaser looked for a heat lamp. Before the snow comes through, Glaser, who lives in Franklinton, will put one lamp near her well pump and another to keep her chickens warm in their coop.

Also on the snow day to-do list for Glaser: Filling the bathtub with water. Letting the water drip at night. Opening the cabinets. Warming food in the crock pot.

“There’s a lot to do — more than I really want to do,” Glaser said. “I’m older now, so this is really harder on me physically.”

As she walked away, another key item came to Glaser’s mind — a tub stopper.

Snow prep isn’t foreign to Claude and Sherry Mason, who lived in Michigan for 38 years before they came to North Carolina six years ago. They live in a subdivision where power lines run underground, so they figure their power is likely to remain on — but they always stay prepared.

So the Masons came to Home Depot looking for salt to melt the snow off their driveway. A space heater would be nice if they have power, since the storm will bring bitter cold temperatures with wind chills in the negative digits. But that won’t be delivered until next week.

Before coming to Home Depot, the two went to the grocery store, stocking up on canned soup and hot dogs.

“We haven’t put it up because we bought it some time ago, but we have a grill and we have some charcoal,” Sherry Mason said. “So if we need to cook, we can.”

Friday morning Smith Hardware and Garden on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh had fewer than 100 48-inch Flexible Flyer sleds on display after selling more than 500 on Thursday. By 10:15 a.m. they were down to 50 and before 11 a.m., every sled had gone out the door.

Pepor Smith of Wendell was one of the lucky ones to get a sled. She said she went to six different stores Thursday night searching but came up empty. When she came across the stash at Smith Hardware and Garden, she bought two, so her daughter and a friend would each have their own..

Handyman Hardware in Raleigh still had signs along the wall Friday with prices for 10 different types of sleds from inflatable snow tubes to 66-inch toboggans. But they all sold out Thursday, said owner Deanna Lusk. Friday morning, Lusk was fielding calls and an occasional drop-in checking to see if they had sleds. Lusk said it broke her heart to tell customers she had run out.

Lusk did have 40-lbs bags of salt available first thing Friday. But they sold out at 9:18 a.m.

News & Observer photojournalist Ethan Hyman contributed.

Update (4:30 p.m. Friday): Snowfall accumulations of 3-10 inches are expected across much of central North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service. In the Triangle, the latest forecast shows 8-10 inches of snow expected in Raleigh and 6-8 inches in Durham. At this point, meteorologists can’t predict exactly which areas will receive more or less than the forecast amounts. The snow is expected to have cleared out of the area by Sunday morning, Feb. 1. Wind chills Saturday night, Jan. 31 into Sunday morning could be at or below zero; for those who must go outside, meteorologists recommend bundling up and limiting time outdoors. Sunshine is expected Sunday and Monday, Feb. 2, to help with melting.

Update (1:15 p.m. Friday): In a briefing, meteorologist Nick Petro at the National Weather Service in Raleigh emphasized that snowfall totals may vary widely place to place. Models are showing different scenarios, and some places may get far more or less snow than is in the official forecast. Snow is expected to reach the Triangle on Friday night; by 9 p.m., people should be off the roads, staying at home or wherever they plan to be throughout the duration of the storm, until it’s safe to drive again.

As the anticipated storm approaches the Triangle, meteorologists at the National Weather Service have fine-tuned their forecast for snowfall amounts.

As of Friday morning, Jan. 30, the forecast calls for 6-8 inches of snow throughout the Triangle. However, localized amounts vary.

According to the National Weather Service, some areas may get 10 inches or more of snow. Those higher totals are most probable along the Interstate 95 corridor to as far west as the Triangle. Reasonable high-end snowfall totals may surpass 12-14 inches.

On the other hand, there may also be places that receive less snowfall than the forecast amount. There is still uncertainty about which places may receive more or less snow.

Snow is expected to begin falling in central North Carolina Friday evening and will continue through Sunday morning, Feb. 1.

When it falls, snow is expected to quickly start sticking due to cold temperatures.

Unusual as it is for the Triangle, snow is the only kind of precipitation expected to come with this storm, meteorologists said.

With snow in the forecast, Gov. Josh Stein declared a new state of emergency Thursday, Jan. 29. The North Carolina Department of Transportation will apply salt and sand to the roads on Friday, and drivers are asked to stay off the roads starting Friday night.

Black ice could be a concern Sunday night into early next week.

Strong winds, extreme cold expected

The other two hazards associated with the storm, besides snow, are gusty winds and frigid temperatures.

Wind gusts from the north will range from 25-35 mph Saturday, Jan. 31 and Sunday in central North Carolina, but some infrequent gusts up to 40 mph are possible, mainly along and east of the I-95 corridor.

Gusty winds could cause reduced visibility and blowing and drifting snow, along with scattered power outages.

In the Triangle, temperatures Friday night will fall into the teens. On Saturday, high temperatures will climb into the 20s before falling back into the teens overnight. High temperatures on Sunday are expected in the 20s and 30s, and the lows will be in the teens overnight.

On Monday, Feb. 2, the Triangle may again see temperatures rise above freezing.

An extreme cold watch is in effect from late Saturday night through Sunday morning for all of central North Carolina. A cold weather advisory is in effect for the same area from 1 a.m. Saturday until 1 a.m. Sunday. The National Weather Service in Raleigh has also issued a winter weather warning, in effect for parts of the Triangle as early as 4 p.m. Friday and lasting through as late as 1 p.m. Sunday.

Greater impacts expected in coastal NC

Along the coast of North Carolina, snowfall totals may be higher than in central North Carolina, and wind gusts are expected to be stronger.

As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service office in Morehead City said snowfall rates could exceed 1-2 inches per hour during the peak of the storm.

Wind gusts of 55-70 mph or faster are in the forecast for the Outer Banks, and gusts of 40-55 mph are possible inland.

Blizzard conditions are possible over areas such as the Outer Banks. Blizzard conditions indicate sustained winds or frequent gusts to at least 35 mph and considerable falling and/or blowing snow — meaning visibility is frequently reduced to less than a quarter-mile — are expected to continue for at least three hours.

Questions about life in North Carolina? Or have a tip or story idea you’d like to share? The service journalism teams at The News & Observer and The Charlotte Observer want to hear from you.