Virginia Beach, Va., Public works crews prepare Thursday morning for snow from an impending winter storm.
Stephen M. Katz / AP
hide captions
switch captions
Stephen M. Katz / AP
Virginia Beach, Va., Public works crews prepare Thursday morning for snow from an impending winter storm.
Stephen M. Katz / AP
NORFOLK, Va. Freezing rain, sleet and snow lashed coastal areas stretching from South Carolina to Virginia on Friday in a winter storm that forecasters say could slam an area uncharacteristically familiar. winter rainfall.
Authorities along the coasts of North and South Carolina warned that ice buildup could cause major power outages, while areas of the northeast, extending into Virginia, could see several inches (cm) of snow.
Most of that rain is expected to pass by Saturday. But forecasters say temperatures likely won’t rise above 30s in North Carolina and Virginia during the day and will drop to 20s and even teenagers in some places by Saturday night.
Alec Butner, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Virginia, said the snow “will probably stick around a bit”. “We’re finally turning 40 on Sunday. We’re probably going to have some melting by that point.”
Transportation officials in Virginia’s southeast corner said Friday morning that teams had been working overnight to clear the roads, but warned people to stay away from them.
“Street temperatures below freezing on all roads in the area, meaning more potential for slicks, black ice and muddy conditions. Stay home in a safe and warm place, unless travel is unavoidable,” the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Hampton Roads County said in a tweet.
In the Myrtle Beach, South Carolina area, a police chief warned that even stepping out the front door could be dangerous.
“One of our biggest concerns is slips, slips and falls. We’re not used to the ice around here. Be extra careful when stepping out of your own home,” Joey Tanner, Landscape H sorry County Fire Chief said.
Near Raleigh, an ambulance carrying a patient skidded off an icy road early Friday, injuring two workers on board, according to the state’s Highway Patrol. The patient died after the collision, but the cause of death has yet to be confirmed. The governor’s office said multiple crashes were reported Friday morning following the storm’s first wave.
Forecasters predict four to six inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of snow in the northeast corner of North Carolina and the Hampton Roads region of Virginia, including Norfolk and Virginia Beach.
Chris Stokes, 41, a construction worker living in Norfolk, shopped at a Harris Teeter grocery store on Friday morning, rounding up his stockpile with bottled water, eggs, chicken, and wine. wine and other items.
“I’ve had a few, but now they’re making it look like it’s going to be a lot worse,” Stokes said.
School was canceled for his kids. His construction work stalled. Stokes’ plan is to put some chicken in the slow cooker and assemble some of the toys his kids have for Christmas.
“I bought some salt, so I’ll sprinkle it on the outside of the aisle and just some kind of splint for it,” says Stokes.
“Luckily I got a 4-wheeler (pickup),” he added. “So if anything happens, I’m not really stuck. I can get where I need to go. But I’m sure nothing will be left open.”
In North Carolina, the heaviest ice is likely to develop near New Bern, where two US highways intersect, said Ryan Ellis of the National Weather Service office in Newport/Morehead City.
“We could see up to half an inch of ice there, and with that amount, you really start to worry about power outages,” Ellis said. Ice will be a concern along the coast from Jacksonville, North Carolina, to the northeastern corner of South Carolina.
In New Bern, Annabelle’s restaurant closes early on a Friday afternoon.
Manager Keith Strange, whose family owns the restaurant in the picturesque riverside town of about 30,000 people, said: “We made about a fifth of what we normally do at the end of the day. lunch. “Plus, we’re working with a volunteer worker and don’t want a driver if the condition gets worse later on.”
Strange said the forecast storm is a rare event that people are taking so seriously.
“Necessary things are hard to find,” he said. “I know some grocery stores that ran out of milk and bread yesterday at different times. People are buying hamburgers.”
Governors in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia declared a state of emergency ahead of the storm. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, who appealed to more than 100 National Guard members, warned residents on Friday to “stand still and stay off the roads.”
Duke Energy said in a press release that it had 2,500 workers ready around the Carolinas to help restore power following the storm, drawing teams from as far away as Florida and Indiana.
In South Carolina, areas that typically consider hurricanes their biggest weather threat are bracing for ice.
Sailors tackled the long, tall bridges along the state’s coast before freezing rain began, warning that they could become especially dangerous from freezing rain. Myrtle Beach plans to close at least one bridge to ensure safety before bad weather begins. In Charleston, schools were closed and many offices and businesses closed after lunch.
The US Navy only requires essential personnel to report on their facilities along the Virginia coast, including the world’s largest Naval base at Norfolk. Marine Corps Base Lejeune and New River Air Station in Jacksonville, North Carolina, also announced that non-essential employees were not required to report to work on Friday.
