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This afternoon’s update from the National Weather Service (NWS) included:

• Minor changes to the timing of tomorrows impacts.
• Minor changes in snow / ice accumulations. (Mainly for counties north and east of us.)

These changes have been highlighted below.

Please Note: There continues to be a degree of uncertainty with this storm, with forecasted impacts being very track specific. Shifts in the forecasted track of 30 +/- miles could be the difference between receiving 2 to 3 inches of snow or no measurable amounts at all.

Watches / Warnings

• A Winter Storm Warning has been issued for our area, meaning significant and hazardous winter weather is imminent.

Temperatures / Windchills

• Temperatures are expected to drop near or below freezing around 2am Wednesday morning and continue through noon on Friday, with daytime windchills between 20 and 25 degrees.
  • Our coldest temperatures are forecasted to occur overnight Thursday with most areas reaching a low of 19 degrees (windchill of 10) around sunrise Friday morning.
  • Temperatures will climb above freezing between 11am and sunset Friday, before returning to daytime highs in the mid to upper 40 over the weekend.

Temperature (Red) & Windchill (Blue) Graphic: 8am Wednesday – 8am Friday

Snow / Rain / Ice

• Precipitation is expected to move into our area around 9am Wednesday and continue through noon on Thursday as outlined below:
  • Wednesday
    • 9am to Noon: A mix of light snow, sleet, freezing rain and rain with minor accumulations. (Less than a 3/10^th of an inch for all combined.)
    • Noon to 4pm: A mix of snow, freezing rain and sleet, with noticeable accumulations after 2pm.
    • 4pm to Midnight: A mix of snow and freezing rain with continued accumulations.
  • Thursday
    • Midnight to 7am: Primarily snow with a mix of ice.
    • 7am to Noon: Light snow flurries.
• Most areas of our county are forecasted to receive around an inch of snow and 1/10 to 1/4 of an inch of ice.
  • Our greatest chance of receiving accumulating ice will be between 1pm and midnight tomorrow.
    • Areas south of Hwy 33 and west of Blounts Creek have the greatest chance of receiving the most ice.
  • Our greatest chance of receiving accumulating snow will be between 1pm and 5pm tomorrow.
    • Areas along and north of Hwy 264 have the greatest chance of receiving the most snow.

Rain (Green), Snow (Blue),  Ice (Pink) and Sleet (Orange) Graphic – 8am Wednesday – 8am Friday

Primary Hazards

• Hazardous Road Conditions
  • Please avoid driving after 1pm tomorrow as our roadways will become hazardous with the accumulation of ice and snow. (This will be especially true for our bridges / overpasses.)
• Down Tree Limbs & Isolated Power Outages
  • Freezing rain and sustained winds near 10 mph with gust near 20 will have the potential to cause tree limbs to break, resulting in damage to vehicles, structures, and other infrastructure.
  • Isolated power outages will be possible during this storm.

Preparation Reminders

We encourage everyone to take the necessary precautions to safely protect you family, homes, and pets from the forecasted conditions over the coming days. Recommended precautions include:

• Utilize safe heating practices in your home. (Only use UL approved space heaters. Ensure heaters are at least 3 feet away from furniture and other combustible items. Make sure that you have working smoke alarms. Homes that utilize gas appliances should also have working carbon monoxide alarms as well.)
• Ensure exposed plumbing fixtures are wrapped to prevent freezing and familiarize yourselves with the location of your water shutoffs and / or water meter so that any leaks can quickly be shut off.
• Ensure that outside pets and livestock have adequate shelter to protect them from wind, rain, or frozen precipitation. Also ensure that they continue to have access to water that is not frozen.

Please see the email below and attached weather briefing from the National Weather Service for more information.

 

Latest NWS Email:

No major changes to the forecast this afternoon, but we have slightly increased snow totals across northern NC generally along and north of US 264, and we have slightly increased the area for the highest ice accretion across the coastal plain south of Greenville (and west of US 17).

There remains uncertainty at this time range on the distribution, areal coverage, and amount of the snow totals across northern NC, as well as the ice totals over the coastal plain. Higher snow and ice totals than forecasted remain possible.

NWS Morehead City Briefing #4 for Winter Storm February 19th-20th