Rowan weather: Watch for black ice; temperatures rise in mid-morning

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, March 18, 2014

It’s 29 degrees at the Rowan County Airport, but there is no freezing precipitation at this hour.
Trees, power lines and anything metal have a coating of ice about an eighth of an inch thick. Vehicles left outside overnight are encased in ice. There are a few reports of downed trees or limbs. Duke Energy reports 650 outages in Rowan County and 1,726 in Cabarrus — the highest number of outages in the state.
Roads are wet or damp, but don’t seem to be icy. Main Street and Innes look clear. With school delays, traffic is reduced.
We are still under a winter weather advisory until 11 a.m., meaning we’re likely to see areas of black ice and have a chance of patchy freezing drizzle.
Bridges could be icy until at least mid-morning, when temperatures will rise. No further ice accumulation is expected. Temperatures will be in the upper 20s to low 30s this morning. Please allow extra time to reach your destination and clear your windows of ice before traveling.
The chance for precipitation today is 20 percent; temperatures should rise to near 40 degrees. The chance for rain or drizzle and fog remains tonight, but we should stay above the freezing mark, at about 35 degrees.
Wednesday brings a chance of rain or drizzle, clouds and a high near 55. Chance of rain is 30 percent, with less than a tenth of an inch of rain expected. Wednesday night should be around 39.
Thursday, the first day of spring, will be sunny with a high near 65 and a low around 35. Friday brings more of the same, with a high near 69 and a low around 44.
A 30 percent chance of rain returns Saturday, but it will be warm, with a high of 72. Saturday night’s low will be around 39. Sunday should be mostly sunny with a high near 60.