By Steve Huffman and Mark Wineka
Salisbury Post
A mix of winter weather headed for Rowan County was expected to start as snow before changing to sleet and freezing rain this morning.
Check the Salisbury Post Web site at carpenter-media.go-vip.net.salisburypost.com for cancellations and news about school classes.
Blair Holloway, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service near Greenville, S.C. said he was looking for 2-4 inches of accumulation before the snow changes to sleet and freezing rain Thursday morning.
Once that transition begins, the county could see up to a quarter of an inch of ice.
“That could create significant travel problems through the morning rush hour,” Holloway said.
“We’ll probably get back above freezing in the early afternoon, and once we do that; a cold rain,” Holloway said.
Larry Lee, national weather service meteorologist said the precipitation is coming from a low pressure system that’s forming over the northeastern portion of the Gulf of Mexico. The front is expected to skirt the Atlantic Coast before turning toward the northeast.
State and city road crews were making their normal preparations for snow and/or ice.
The N.C. Department of Transportation was applying a brine mixture on Interstate 85 and other major arteries in Rowan County.
Salt and sand also were being spread on bridges and overpasses
John Thomason, transportation supervisor with N.C. D.O.T., said crews finished spraying about 5p.m. Wednesday.
The department treated about 1,200 total road miles and used about 70,000 gallons of brine salt water.
“The night crew will be coming in at 10 p.m. They’ll ride the roads and stand by and see what the conditions are,” he said.
Once conditions worsen crews will apply salt to the interstates and primary routes.
Steve Weatherford, head of Salisbury’s Street Division, said Rowan County looks to be on the edge between some snow accumulation in the foothills and less of a storm event toward Charlotte.
“Right now, we’re on that line like we always are,” he said.
From forecasts fed its way late Wednesday morning, the city of Salisbury is expecting a small accumulation of snow early Thursday morning followed by freezing rain during the commute to work ó at the worst time, Weatherford said.
Overall, city crews don’t expect much of “a snow-plow event,” unless what’s tabbed for the foothills reaches Rowan.
Weatherford said he will have a crew report to work earlier than usual Thursday morning to help fill the gap between the skeleton night crew and the regular day shift.
The city has a full supply of salt and sand for this and future storms, he added.
The city’s Street Division receives regular updates from the National Weather Service and Rowan County EMS.
The Rowan-Salisbury school students are taking state exams this week and if school is closed today they’ll finish up on Friday, according to Rita Foil, school system public information officer.
If schools operate on a two hour delay, they’ll still take exams when they arrive. Students will be dismissed after the exam as the orginal schedule was set up. The same goes for Friday if the start of school is delayed.
School buses head out around 5:15 a.m. each morning so if administrators decide to cancel or delay school a decision has to be made by 4:45 a.m.
School officials start driving around the county as early as 4 a.m. to check roads in each area of the county that have a history of freezing quickly.
Once administrators make a decision, they use the media as well as the Connect-ED phone system to get messages out to teachers and students.