Weather-related news from around the region:
UPDATE: As of Thursday morning, based on the current weather conditions, US Airways, a subsidiary of American Airlines, has canceled all arrivals for the remainder of the day. Flights that are currently en route to Charlotte will land. A very limited number of departures from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) are scheduled to operate this evening, but this is subject to change based on weather conditions.
US Airways urges customers who have travel plans today, or who are dropping off or picking up a loved one to check their flight status at usairways.com or at aa.com if they are traveling on a flight operated by American Airlines. Approximately 2,000 of US Airways 3,000 daily flights are cancelled today.
Charlotte Douglas International Airport remains open. Roadways around the airport are passable, but remain hazardous.
Two parallel runways (18R/36L & 18C/36C) and taxiways have been cleared, and they are fully operational. Runway 18L/36R remains closed.
Crews continue to monitor the airfield and are pre-treating runways and taxiways.
Significant domestic air carrier operations have been impacted.
US Airways has cancelled departing flights from CLT until 11 a.m. Arriving flights to CLT will resume at 10 a.m.
Approximately 1,000 customers were in the terminal overnight. Staff assisted passengers and distributed cots, mats, blankets and pillows. HMSHost, the airport’s concessionaire, kept some restaurants open through the night for customers, and TSA kept one security checkpoint open for ticketed passengers.
Deicing will resume if needed later this morning.
Customers are advised to please continue checking with their airlines for updated flight status before leaving to come to the Airport.
As forecasters predict more snow and ice to hit the Triangle and Triad in the second wave of the historic winter storm, NCDOT crews from the eastern part of the state are coming to the aid of their colleagues in central Carolina. At this time, in the eastern portions of the state, the snow is thawing and the roads are clear, so conditions allow some crews and supplies to be transferred to the regions expected to be hardest hit without impacting the maintenance of the roads in some eastern divisions.
Here’s a statewide look at the road conditions:
Eastern Carolina — the snow is melting, interstates, highways and primary roads are clear. The concern now is flooding in low lying areas.
Central Carolina — Most interstates and highways are clear, but ramps are slushy. Depending on the second round of the storm expected to move in later today, NCDOT crews will either clear primary and secondary roads tonight and tomorrow. Or, if the storm warrants, repeat clearing efforts on the interstates and highways. Scattered reports of downed trees and power lines.
Western Carolina — Most interstates, highways and primary roads are down to the pavement, but are wet. Ramps are slushy. Crews plan to clear secondary roads either Friday or Saturday, but may need to repeat clearing efforts on interstates and highways, depending on the intensity of this second band of snow and ice expected to move in later today. Approximately 40 trees are down across the mountain division.
For real-time travel information at any time, call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel or follow NCDOT on Twitter at www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter. Another option is NCDOT Mobile, a phone-friendly version of the NCDOT website. To access it, type “m.ncdot.gov” into the browser of your smartphone.
For the safety of the traveling public and to ensure that plow and salt and sand trucks can effectively work to clear roads, NCDOT is working closely with the N.C. State Highway Patrol and local law enforcement to identify and move abandoned vehicles that are blocking travel lanes or posing an immediate safety hazard.
Under the current state of emergency and North Carolina’s Quick Clearance Law, NCDOT’s IMAP (Incident Management Assistance Patrol) trucks are moving cars to the shoulder where possible. In other cases, the Highway Patrol and local law enforcement are coordinating with towing companies to move vehicles to a safe location.
Troopers, National Guard soldiers, other law enforcement and IMAP crews are checking all abandoned cars to make sure there are no people inside who need help.
Drivers whose vehicles were abandoned within city limits need to call their local police department. If the vehicle was off the roadway and is not considered a safety hazard, it will NOT immediately be towed. For drivers to track down abandoned vehicles outside city limits, contact the State Highway Patrol— 919-733-3861.
NCDOT crews are continuing to work to clear roads and restore safe driving conditions as quickly as possible. The governor and state emergency leaders continue to urge driver to stay off impacted roads today unless it is an emergency.