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Mixed bag of wintry weather on the way



Drew Tolson, an employee with the city’s street division, spreads salt brine on Nash Street in advance of a weekend winter storm Friday morning.  Drew C. Wilson | Times

Drew Tolson, an employee with the city’s street division, spreads salt brine on Nash Street in advance of a weekend winter storm Friday morning. Drew C. Wilson | Times

Even though Wilson isn’t in a winter storm watch like much of the state, residents can expect snow, sleet and freezing rain Sunday.



The National Weather Service forecast calls for the mixed precipitation to start late Saturday night and to continue into Sunday morning before changing over to rain by early afternoon. Saturday night’s wind chill could be as low as 19 degrees.

Sunday’s wind gusts could reach 10 to 15 mph.

As the precipitation ends early Monday morning, there could be some snow mixed with the rain, according to the National Weather Service.

On Friday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency in advance of the storm and urged North Carolinians to prepare.

“This storm will bring significant impacts from snow, sleet and freezing rain in different parts of the state, with likely power outages and travel disruptions,” Cooper said. “North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast over the next few days and make sure they are personally prepared before Saturday afternoon.”

The state of emergency makes it possible to activate state resources to respond to the storm.

PREPARING THE ROADS

Andrew Barksdale, public relations officer for Divisions 4 and 6 of the N.C. Department of Transportation, said as of Thursday night, DOT crews were 90% finished with preparation on area roads ahead of the winter storm.

“We started in Wilson County probably 7 a.m. spraying brine, which is 23% salt and the rest is water,” Barksdale said. 

DOT crews are spraying any route that is a highway of any kind, including state highway routes, U.S. highway routes and any interstates. 

“I don’t care if they are two lanes, four lanes or six lanes, any route in Wilson County inside the town limits and outside the town limits that are highway routes,” Barksdale said Friday morning.

Barksdale said the crews were brining subdivisions in the county Friday.

State DOT crews are brining everywhere in the state except for maybe some counties near the Outer Banks.

“We are doing that in every county up and down I-95, and for Wilson we have spread a total of 50,000 gallons of brine,” Barksdale said Friday. “We had a total of 24 employees and eight DOT trucks that we were using yesterday. Wilson will probably be done this morning.”

Barksdale said the brine helps keep the snow and ice from bonding and sticking to the highway. 

“The brining lowers the freezing temperature, and it helps prevent the snow and ice from sticking on the road,” Barksdale said. “It will help the snow and ice be a little looser and easier to scrape off and a little wetter. It makes it easier to drive through. It is a good tool for this.”

“This is one of those storms where if you are in Asheville, it’s going to be all snow,” he said. “Asheville is going to get over a foot of snow I think, according to the forecast, but when you get along I-95, it could be anything. Wilson’s right there on the line.”

Barksdale said DOT crews will work this holiday weekend.

“Our crews will be ready to start working as soon as there starts to be accumulation and as soon as we see what’s happening and what’s falling on the road, which I think is going to happen after midnight Saturday,” he said. 

In terms of driving conditions, freezing rain and sleet can be more hazardous than all snow. 

“People on Saturday night and Sunday should avoid traveling if they can,” Barksdale said. “They should just be cautious. Just go slow. Don’t be in any big hurry on the road. Avoid travel if you can. Give plenty of safe distance. Don’t be in a hurry.”

Barksdale urged people to avoid driving if possible on Sunday. 

“We are going to have more of our crews out scraping snow or spraying salt or spraying salt and sand mix, so it is better for people to minimize travel on Sunday to allow our crews to do what they need to do more safely and more efficiently,” he said. 

Drivers can consult the DriveNC website for current road conditions.

“If you are looking at DriveNC, it is web friendly, mobile friendly, they have on-the-map filters. On the left, there is a thing for snow and ice,” Barksdale explained. “It doesn’t give you a snow and ice breakdown by road — we are not able to do that — but it does give you by county. It is kind of an overview.”

The governor reminds those who must drive in winter weather to heed N.C. Highway Patrol officials’ advice to reduce speed, leave plenty of room between vehicles and clear all ice or snow from cars before traveling. 

POWER OUTAGES

“In Wilson, we’re mostly concerned with power outages,” said Rebecca Agner, communications and marketing director for the city. “We’re watching the forecast and our crews are staffed accordingly and ready to respond if needed.”

Agner encouraged residents to sign up for the city’s text alert system and bookmark the outage management system web page so they will know if city crews are aware of an outage at their house. Residents can also call 252-399-2424 to report an outage.

Visit the shortened link tinyurl.com/2p8b8fry to sign up for services or check outage status. 

BE PREPARED

To prepare for winter weather, North Carolina Emergency Management officials recommend these tips:

• Always keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable food and a supply of medication in your home.

• Keep cellphones and mobile devices charged in case of power outages.

• Keep fresh batteries on hand for weather radios and flashlights.

• Dress warmly. Wear multiple layers of thin clothing instead of a single layer of thick clothing.

• Properly vent kerosene heaters and ensure generators are operated outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. Never burn charcoal indoors or use a gas grill indoors.

• Use a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radio or a weather alert app on your phone to receive emergency weather alerts.

• Store an emergency kit in your vehicle. Include scraper, jumper cables, tow chain, sand/salt, blankets, flashlight, first-aid kit and road map.

• Make an emergency supplies kit for your pet and include medical records, leash and feeding supplies, enough food for several days and pet travel carrier.

• Do not leave pets outside for long periods of time during freezing weather.

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