SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — As a cold system approaches the state Wednesday, area schools made schedule adjustments to ensure students and staff are safe.
ALSO: Warming Shelter to reopen this week
The National Weather Service Wilmington issued winter weather advisories for the tri-county region. There is potential for a wintry mix though it’s not anticipated to accumulate greatly.
Portions of New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties could see roughly 0.03 inches of ice in the area, with local areas receiving more — up to 0.1 inch. The sleet is expected to begin early evening Wednesday and any wintry mix that falls is expected to end by Thursday morning.
Locally, wind chills are expected to be 15 degrees or less, with temperatures in the 40s from Wednesday through early Saturday morning. Lows could reach the 20s, with the coldest evening expected on Thursday.
Roadways, particularly bridges, may be hazardous for travel conditions, due to ice, especially with black ice threats increasing at night. NWS noted downed trees and power lines being impacted by accumulation are unlikely.
However, in other parts of the state, officials are preparing for upward of 1 to 9 inches of snow and mixed precipitation, including western, central and eastern North Carolina. As such Gov. Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency to assist with road-clearing and to activate the Emergency Response Team.
The National Guard, Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Transportation are on call as well to respond as needed. By Tuesday, NCDOT had pretreated roads in the state with 1.8 million gallons of brine. The state agency announced it would work around the clock and has 600 trucks with plows and spreaders and 240 motor graders to help remove precipitation. Over 130,000 tons of salt The National Guard, Duke Energy and the North Carolina Department of Transportation are on call as well to respond as needed.
By Tuesday, NCDOT had pretreated roads in the state with 1.8 million gallons of brine. The state agency announced it would work around the clock and has 600 trucks with plows and spreaders and 240 motor graders to help remove precipitation. Over 130,000 tons is ready to go and treat the roads after the storm.
Below are announcements from area schools:
Pender County Schools
All afterschool activities, including 21st Century, PACES, and athletics, have been canceled for Wednesday, Feb. 19. The district will operate on a remote learning schedule on Thursday, Feb. 20. Students will return to a regular in-person schedule on Friday, Feb. 21.
However, Penderlea School and Pender Early College will utilize snow days and will be closed Thursday.
“We understand the inconvenience this may cause and appreciate the flexibility and understanding of our families,” Superintendent Brad Breedlove said in a release. “The safety of our students is our top priority, and we are taking these measures out of an abundance of caution.”
New Hanover County Schools
New Hanover County Schools announced they will operate normally on Wednesday, Feb. 19; this includes extracurricular activities.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, there will be a two-hour delay as of now, though it may update students and families Thursday morning if necessary.
Brunswick County Schools
Brunswick County’s district announced it will operate on regular schedule on Wednesday, Feb. 19, with afterschool activities also on schedule.
However, on Thursday, Feb. 20, there will be a two-hour delay. Afterschool activities will operate on a regular schedule on Thursday as well.
Tips or comments? Email info@portcitydaily.com.
Want to read more from PCD? Subscribe now and then sign up for our morning newsletter, Wilmington Wire, and get the headlines delivered to your inbox every morning.
