Charlotte-Area Braces For Slippery, Icy Commute

Several counties north of Charlotte are bracing for an icy night and a slippery start to the morning. Severe Weather Team 9 is forecasting a pretty substantial ice storm from Interstate 40 north into the mountains.

Meteorologist Steve Udelson said sleet and freezing rain could accumulate a quarter-of-an-inch to a half-inch of ice on everything in the foothills and mountains. The ice event could lead to downed trees and power lines.

Udelson said some snow will fall to the north along with the ice, but areas to the south will mostly see cold rain. He said the Mecklenburg and Iredell County line will likely divide the cold rain from any wintry mix.

The North Carolina Highway Patrol hopes to see fewer accidents on the interstates during this winter storm. The wintry mix last weekend led to dozens of accidents on Interstate 77.

Sergeant Kelly Stewart said his officers are ready to man the roads, but they are hoping drivers won't be on them.

"I caution them and urge them to understand if they put themselves in a ditch in the middle of nowhere, it may be, due to call volume two to three hours before someone can get to them,” Stewart said.

State troopers stationed in Statesville said they will divide their officers evenly across both Iredell and Alexander counties.

They are also teaming up with the Alexander County sheriff's department to respond to emergency calls. The sheriff’s department has agreed to help troopers get around using their four wheel drive vehicles.

Leta Humber and her family plans to take the sergeant's advice and stay off the roads. The family was stopping to spend the night in Statesville as they continue their drive from Canada to Florida.

Humber said, "We will not be getting an early start in the morning if there is any ice on the roads."

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The rain and wintry mix will be gone by mid-Friday. The weather is expected to be clear but cool over the weekend.

Charlotte road officials and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools leaders said on Thursday they are expecting only a rain event Friday so they aren't doing anything out of the ordinary. They are taking a wait-and-see approach to the possibility of a wintry mix.

So far, state road officials don't see a need to treat roads ahead of time. They plan to bring in two supervisors Friday at 4 a.m. They will determine if there is a reason to call in any of the crews on standby.

CMS officials said they'll check the roads starting at 2 a.m. Administrators will make a decision about canceling by 4:30 a.m. if necessary and alert everyone by 5 a.m.

In the mountains, power crews are getting prepared to handle the ice. Crews checked chain saws and gassed up their vehicles Thursday. They said they are on high-alert for significant ice.

Crews in the foothills are also getting ready. Emergency workers in Hickory unveiled a new emergency trailer loaded with equipment for handling ice storms.

Near Lake Norman, the head of Lincoln County Emergency Management said he’s most concerned about power outages in the Denver area, which is the most heavily populated section of the county.

If power lines start going down there, it could take a long time to get everyone out of the dark.

Resident Ricky Jones said the roads are a big problem when it comes to ice, too. Some of them are still coated with ice and snow from the last winter storm.

“This last time it took them about three days just to plow it,” he said.

Emergency management officials said if they have to open shelters, icy roads will make it hard for some people to get to a warm safe place. They plan to monitor the weather through the night and decide in the morning if they should open shelters.

Duke Energy linemen in the Charlotte area spent the day prepping their trucks and getting supplies ready, in case they are needed to restore power.