NC weather: Freezing rain, ice expected throughout parts of central North Carolina Saturday morning

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Thousands across central North Carolina are currently without power as freezing rain moves throughout the state.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until noon Saturday for much of central North Carolina.

The advisory stretches from Wake, Durham, Orange, Chatham, Nash and Edgecombe counties north into Virginia.

Person, Vance and Granville counties were upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning on Friday afternoon, where an additional .25″ of ice is possible. The Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for the Triangle, northern Orange and Durham counties could see .10″ of ice, less to the south.

The warnings/advisories will now last until Sunday at noon, although there should be little additional icing after Saturday early afternoon.

According to Duke Energy, more than 1,000 customers in Chatham County are experiencing power outages.

The original advisory was issued Friday morning and it included chances for ice Friday and Saturday morning.

The first round of winter weather was mainly felt around the North Carolina-Virginia border. Rain turned to a small amount of ice accumulation on raised surfaces–such as tree limbs and railings.

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However, a second round of rain arrived Friday night and temperatures dipped below freezing.

Freezing rain is likely from the Triangle to the Virginia border.

Only a light glaze is expected in most of the Triangle, with perhaps some bridges or overpasses developing some ice. Temperatures are only forecast to drop to 31 or 32 at RDU, so ice accumulation is pretty difficult at these temperatures.

If we drop just another degree or two, ice accumulation will be greater.

Farther north, temperatures will drop to about 29 or 30, and this is the area where up to .15-.20″ of ice is possible. This amount of ice can lead to a few power outages and roads may be more of a concern in the morning, Hohmann said. Typically, .25″ is the threshold for more effects from freezing rain.

The freezing rain should end by Saturday afternoon.

We have the potential to pick up an inch to an inch and a half of rain on Saturday, through Sunday morning. We could also wake up to a slick spot or two Sunday morning, especially north of I-85.

The ABC11 First Alert Weather Team will be working around the clock to monitor any changes to the forecast. You can catch those updates in this story, on television, or in our apps on your connected devices.

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