Fayetteville residents woke up Saturday to a substantial blanket of snow covering the ground.
“You did pretty well in this storm,” meteorologist Nick Luchetti of the National Weather Service in Raleigh said. “It was definitely a pretty good storm south and east of Raleigh. This was kind of an interesting event, at least.”
Typically, the areas that receive the most snow in eastern North Carolina are north of Interstate 85 and in the Triad area.
“They got the least amount of snow,” he said.
Generally speaking, he said, there were reports of 3 inches to just under 5 inches in the Fayetteville area.
The highest reported accumulation was in the Bonnie Doone area of the city, where it was measured at both 4.5 inches and 4.7 inches.
“Those were the two highest amounts,” Luchetti said mid-day Saturday of the Fayetteville area.
Hope Mills got 4 inches, as well, he said.
“Seems you guys saw mostly snow. There was no icing,” he said.
As for Saturday’s forecast, he said it will be “kinda chilly,” with highs in the afternoon in the mid-30s. Overnight, the weather should be “pretty cold” – with lows in the lower to mid-20s.
Remnants of slush, snow and ice should remain on the ground coupled with the icy conditions over the rest of the day.
“You could see some black ice conditions develop overnight and through the morning hours,” Luchetti said. “Tomorrow looks pretty dry and Monday looks dry, as well. Tomorrow, afternoon highs in the mid-40s.”
Carolyn Justice-Hinson, a spokeswoman for the Fayetteville Public Works Commission, said the utility did not have any significant power outages. On Friday night, she reported, a short one lasted less than an hour and affected about five customers.
Andrew Barksdale, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said crews will be working in shifts day and night until the roads are all cleared.
He cited the department’s highest priorities as clearing Interstate 95 and other four-lane roads, then two-lane N.C. and U.S. routes. Lastly, the DOT’s schedules calls for the clearing of secondary roads.
The goal is to clear all of I-95 by this afternoon, Barksdale said.
He reported there were no road closures in Cumberland County due to the winter storm. “None have closed at all in Cumberland due to this storm,” he said.
“This will take us some time to dig out of it,” he said. “People should avoid any unnecessary travel today and be aware of black ice tomorrow morning.”
Meanwhile, a state DOT snowplow truck overturned Friday night due to slick conditions on N.C. 24/27, west of Carthage in Moore County, Barksdale said.
"Luckily, everyone is OK," he said in an email. "Roadway conditions can be treacherous, even for those plowing the roads. This is why we ask that people stay home and not drive if possible during these weather events."
The Fayetteville Area System of Transit and FASTTRAC services were canceled Saturday because of road conditions, the city said in a news release. Service is expected to resume on a normal schedule Sunday, conditions permitting.
Cumberland County announced that all library locations, the Animal Services shelter and Solid Waste facilities would be closed Saturday because of the winter weather. That includes the landfills and Solid Waste container sites.
Michael Futch covers Fayetteville and education for CityView TODAY. He can be reached at mfutch@cityviewnc.com. Have a news tip? Email news@CityViewTODAY.com.
