Winter Weather Advisory for Northern SC

Because of the severity of ice, sleet and snow accumulations, Governor Pat McCrory has declared a state of emergency for much of North Carolina.

The Governor made the announcement at a news conference Thursday.

Officials at UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State, Duke and Wake Forest announced classes would be canceled on Friday.

Secondary and rural roads are treacherous while Transportation Department crews concentrate first on major routes.

Lisa Chapman fell to the parking lot pavement as soon as she stepped out of the vehicle.

Light snow accumulation and some ice was already being reported on Wednesday afternoon in the western Carolinas and northern Georgia, according to the National Weather Service. Church said Mary Williams lost control of her auto, which went down an embankment and turned over in a creek. “Let’s keep those open for emergency communication”. That work began Tuesday and continued through Thursday. “Please stay off the roads if at all possible”.

The winter storm, called Jonas, is predicted to strike most of the east coast. At Raleigh-Durham International Airport, more than 200 flights have been canceled for Friday.

Thankfully, Jonas is expected to move out of Charlotte on Saturday.

“I hope you will have ample time to make arrangements for your child to be appropriately monitored as our area may experience power outages due to this weather event”, Freeman said via Twitter. The biggest problem was in Gaston County, where almost, 1,900 customers were without service.

Snow was falling from Boone and Asheville to Greensboro and Raleigh early Friday.

“We are very fortunate in North Carolina to have such a seasoned group of professionals with a proven track record serving in our emergency response team”, said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry. While skies were sunny Thursday morning in Greenville, he didn’t want to be caught without a shovel for snow or salt to melt ice. Additional snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches.

A winter storm warning is in effect until 6 p.m. Saturday for central North Carolina along and west of Interstate 95.

On Friday, snow is expected until 2 p.m., turning to a sleet and snow mixture between 2-4 p.m., with freezing rain to follow. “They were prepared for this storm and are responding to it and are ready for any challenges it might present”.