Mountain crews in high gear, ready for winter storm

HICKORY, N.C. — Roads in the North Carolina mountains are clear Tuesday night but earlier crews braced for what's coming Wednesday.

There was no snow in the Hickory area Tuesday but the clear skies this evening has allowed the temperature to drop very quickly.
  
Earlier, road crews put down brine for a second time in the Hickory area because on Monday, a chilly rain washed away their efforts and the North Carolina Department of Transportation didn't want to take any chances. 

"The rain came and kind of put a monkey wrench in that and we had to regroup this morning as did dot and some other services but we got it together today," Steve Miller with Hickory Public Works said.
 
North of Hickory, power crews with Blue Ridge Electric are on high alert through Thursday.   
 
They've checked their chainsaws and have loaded their trucks with extra power lines over concern heavy wet snow could bring limbs down on lines.
"We got a lot of power lines going through the country and that could hurt us because we could have trees falling down on the poles and lines and that would be a lot of work for us there," said Larry Wagoner, a lineman
 
Hickory Public Works officials said they sprayed 15,000 gallons of brine Tuesday and plows are on 14 of their trucks Tuesday evening as they wait for the system to move in.

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