Though roads are icy after the overnight storm that coated eastern North Carolina in a sheet of ice, there are no road closures reported across Beaufort County.

That wasn’t the case earlier this morning, when Back Creek Bridge in Bath was closed due to a downed power line; U.S. Highway 264 East was partially closed because of a truck accident; and Pungo Creek Road was also partially closed for a time.

According to the NCDOT website, the Bayview-Aurora ferry had suspended service due to the icy conditions, but the ferry is now up and operating again.

Beaufort County Emergency Management officials say it’s been fairly quiet with regard to accidents, but the news is no reason for county drivers to let their guard down.

“We’re looking at it refreezing tonight. Whatever is here this afternoon is going to refreeze tonight. Driving conditions for the rest of the week, late at night and early in the morning — people need to be very cautious. They need to slow down. They don’t need to drive after dark if they can avoid it,” said Lisa Respess, Emergency Management technician. “After dark, it’s going to be treacherous and it’s going to truly be black ice. This kind of ice, you can’t see — it looks like a puddle of water on the road and it’s a sheet of ice.”

As temperatures continue to plunge into the teens and single digits through the rest of the week, travel around the county will continue to be dangerous. One thing that drivers need to pay particular attention to, Respess said, is clearing their windshields, side and back windows so they have maximum visibility. It might take longer, but eradicating blind spots can prevent accidents.

“People need to just plan ahead: they need to prepare their vehicles, as in warming them up, defrosting the windows,” Respess said.