Snow Predicted Tonight, Friday; Residents on Alert

The possibility of snow in the forecast put local governments, power companies and residents into motion Wednesday as they braced for the first winter weather since the December ice storm.

The National Weather Service in Raleigh issued a winter storm watch for tonight and Friday morning for the entire Triangle area.

A low-pressure system will move off the East Coast, making room for a high- pressure system bringing cold Arctic air into North Carolina by today, according to National Weather Service reports.

Snow is expected to develop in the area tonight and to continue into Friday morning, possibly accumulating 1 to 2 inches by daybreak.

But any deviation of the track of the storm could alter the snow amounts.

Ruth Aiken, lead forecaster at the weather service in Raleigh, said that along the Interstate 85 corridor, the weather will begin as wet snow and rain before completely changing to snow.

Weather models show that Chapel Hill is right on the rain-snow line, meaning the type of precipitation and actual accumulations might change as the storm makes its way to the area.

But Aiken reports that so far, no ice conditions similar to the Dec. 4 ice storm that crippled the Triangle are expected.

Chapel Hill and Carrboro town officials said Wednesday that they are monitoring the weather closely and will begin to make preparations this morning.

Bill Stockard, assistant to the Chapel Hill town manager, said Chapel Hill's public works crews were checking equipment Wednesday. The town has 10 snowplows and four salt-and-sand spreaders that will be put to use on the 714 town-maintained roads. If the unfavorable weather reports don't change, then the plows and spreaders will be attached to the trucks this morning, he said.

"We are standing by and prepared to respond," said Stockard, adding that crews will be working late tonight and early Friday to monitor conditions.

Nick Waters, emergency management director for Orange County, said he is waiting until noon today to decide whether to implement the winter weather procedures.

Progress Energy, which still has crews in the area cleaning up ice storm damage, said it is on high alert for this approaching storm.

The power company is monitoring closely what type of precipitation might fall, as well as the strong winds expected Friday that could cause power outages.

Area residents aren't taking any chances of being caught off-guard by another winter storm, as the first wave crowded local hardware and grocery stores Wednesday evening.

The general manager at the Carr Mill Mall Harris Teeter in Carrboro said he stocked extra jugs of milk and loaves of bread in preparation for larger-than-normal crowds that could precede the storm.

Carrboro resident Ken Sams, who was shopping at the store, said his stockpile is ready for any kind of wintry weather. "I hate snow," said Sams, who grew up in the Midwest. "But it is better than ice."

The City Editor can be reached at citydesk@unc.edu.