Weather forecasters are calling for sunny skies and high temperatures in the mid-40s today, which should go a long way in melting the ice. Temperatures will drop back to the lower 20s tonight.
Road crews and local law-enforcement officers hope roads will thaw and dry some during the day. Secondary roads and shady areas on many streets could still be treacherous Thursday morning.
The storm that dumped the snow and ice in Moore County was caused by arctic winds that came down to the East Coast from Canada and collided with a dip in the jet stream pulling warm air from the Gulf of Mexico. The collision caused the precipitation to rise, and when it fell, it turned to ice, according to Jess Orrock, with the National Weather Service in Raleigh said.
North Carolina was hit by a very large-scale system.
“We’re not the only ones in this boat,” Orrock said.
Snow and ice covered South Carolina to Pennsylvania to New England to the Ohio River Valley. Freezing rain and ice hit the hardest in North Carolina along U.S. 1 to the east, Orrock said.
The returning rain was a big problem.
“We got three punches with this moisture,” Orrock said. “We knew we were going to get multiple hits.”
Last Thursday morning, the Weather Service started putting out the word about the winter storm headed for the East Coast.
“It is an enormous winter storm,” he said. “We tried to pinpoint where the ice was going to hit. I don’t think anyone was caught off guard.”
This weekend’s weather looks to be much better.
Friday is expected to be mostly cloudy with high temperatures in the mid-50s. Saturday is expected to be sunny with temperatures in the lower 50s.
There is a 30 percent chance of rain for Super Bowl Sunday, with highs in the mid-50s.
