it's finally on our doorstep. it's not the biggest snow storm we've ever had or the biggest ice storm. but a little bit of both. we'll add in cold temperatures and wind. and it's going to be a miserable day outside. as you see right there, it looks pretty innocent. but remember all that rain is going to run into our cold air and turn to snow, to sleet, to ice, and it'll be here through most of the day tomorrow. because of that fact. and because of the accumulation we'll see tomorrow. and saturday. most of us are under a winter storm warning. and these advisories and watches and warnings in the wintertime are issued because they're going to wreak havoc on travel. the areas shaded in blue is where the worst of the weather will be. bigger impacts on travel. one notch below that is a winter weather advisory. that's east of 95 and for our friends along the coast. minor amounts of snow and ice.

flake of snow. but most of us will. over the last several days, it's been cold. that's setting the stage for what is about ready to fall. temperatures in some areas in the upper 20s. we had teens this week. that's getting the ground, the roads, and the grass cold so when that first flake or ice falls it might stick and cause problems after. here's the break down of what we're expecting and when. i think from start to finish, some of us will be seeing snow a majority of the time. a lot of us, as this starts off friday morning will have freezing rain and sleet. that will last through saturday morning. for a brief period of time, a lot of us will see regular rain coming tomorrow afternoon. it'll start moving in from the southwest between 2:00 and 4:00 a.m. in our farthest southwest counties for most of us it starts between 4:00 and 6:00. coming up in minutes we have a complicated snow and ice map.

in minutes. north carolina is under a state of emergency in anticipation of the storm. emergency workers say they're concerned about the impact of ice on trees and the potential for power outages. wncn's bo minnick is live in raleigh where duke energy workers are gathering tonight. bo? >> sharon, some of these workers are coming from as far away as florida. i'm going to take a step out of the way here so photographer dan wes can give you a closer look at the scene here as some of the workers are gathering there in a circle. this is the staging area for raleigh. there are more than 4,000 workers on stand by across the carolinas. and they are ready in the hours leading up to the storm. >> it's all hands on deck right now. ready to deploy as soon as the weather hits. >> the preps have been made. the crews are ready. >> and our goal with this potential winter storm coming to north carolina is to be over prepared and hopefully underwhelmed.

impact it could have causing power outages. in some places, the forecast is for more than 2/10 of an inch of ice. it only takes 1/4 of an inch to bring down tree limbs. >> assume every downed power line is energized. stay away from the power lines. >> if you lose power, turn off as many appliances as possible. duke energy says that will help them to restore power more quickly. but until the storm arrives, we all wait. >> there's a lot of uncertainty with this storm. we'll have to see what mother nature brings. >> reporter: some other hints to pass along, it's a good idea to charge your devices tonight. also try to have as much bottled water as you can, batteries, nonperrishable food and you want one of these, a little flashlight or a big flashlight. something to have in the event that your power does go out. if your power goes out, duke

that outage by calling 1800- power-on. we also will have that phone number on our website, wncn.com. live in raleigh, bo minnick, wncn news now. when it comes to the winter weather, the d.o.t. says it's prepared for anything that could come its way. amy is live with the latest. >> reporter: well a d.o.t. spokesman late this afternoon telling us they've finished brining the roads. that the roads are in good prepared. i want to give you a live look at the roads at this hour, we're on 40 headed west for durham now. the d.o.t. telling us they have 3200 specialty trained employees and hundreds of trucks will be used for snow and ice removal. another issue we have run into in the past is abandoned cars. people leave them on the side of the road or they get stuck

if they pile up, authorities will tow them. as for calling 911, officials stress it's for emergencies only. >> keep track of the road conditions in your area. but i ask you to do that by going to readync. or by going to 511. don't call 911 or star hp. let's keep those open for emergency communications. >> reporter: and then there was this. that long line, that's people waiting to get gas at the costco in raleigh. those are some patient people. they tell us that it took -- some of them, more than a half hour to get that gas. now, back at a live look at the roads, if you are headed out, especially as that snow and ice heads in, you want to leave yourself plenty of extra time and take it slow. for now, that's the latest here in the mobile news.

streets and major roadways ahead of the storm. for more, we send it to wncn's mario boone. >> state of emergency as a nasty winter storm barrels toward the triangle with the potential to do major damage here. that's why durham city public works is loading sand trucks to battle a forecasted mix of snow and ice expected to hit late thursday night. >> we've got about 30 dump trucks with plows loaded and ready to go. >> public works assistant manager brown told me city crews are on stand by and a fresh crop of workers will report in at midnight. across town at durham county, 40 workers on 12-hour shift haves been activated. and the durham rescue mission. >> we're going into rescue, operation warm shelter. >> just went into emergency mode. and rolled out 80 sleeping mats

as the temperature dips below freezing. >> because we want to make sure no one gets hurt or no one, heaven forbid, no one dies. that was mario boone reporting. here's a live look at rdu international airport. 200 flights have been canceled for tomorrow. jet blue and west canceled all flights scheduled for friday and saturday. american airlines says it will operate a few early morning departures tomorrow but all other flights are canceled until saturday. meanwhile delta canceled 21 flights scheduled to leave friday. you can check the status of your flight using the flight tracker on wncn.com. the link is under the weather tab. you can look for the latest information on school closings and delays on our website. the sand hills could be one of the first areas to see winter weather tomorrow. next at 7:00, from snowplowing to stocking up on food, we'll take you inside the preparations under way in cumberland area.

brings fire and carbon monoxide dangers. but first a live look at miami boulevard right now. you can see significant cars out there.

ahead of it's been a cold week in central north carolina. and that hasn't changed.

and by morning, (cell phone rings) where are you? well the squirrels are back in the attic. mom? your dad won't call an exterminator... can i call you back, mom? he says it's personal this time... if you're a mom, you call at the worst time. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. where are you? it's very loud there.

on air, online, wherever you are. this is wncn news at 7:00. long lines at grocery stores as people get ready for the upcoming storm. this was the scene at the kroger on hillsborough road in durham. authorities say people should stock up on batteries, bottled water and nonperrishable food items. >> cumberland county residents are bracing for whatever mother nature spends our way. nate rogers joins us live in fayetteville with the latest on how people are preparing. >> reporter: hey guys, just to give you a glimpse of what we're seeing here in fayetteville, the water from this fountain here in uptown is all ready beginning to freeze. take a look. it's cold too. several blocks of ice all ready forming now. ems officials tell us the extent of the snow here in cumberland county is still questionable. yet still they say folks should be prepared.

roads this evening. department of transportation officials say the number one priority, is pretreating bridges. they'll also focus on clearing primary and secondary roads. and residents are prepping as well. they're stocking up on shovels, salt, and other necessities. >> i'm hoping and praying that we don't get anything but just plain rain. but i'm going to be prepped just in case i got my oil lamps if the power goes off. i have more than enough quilts and food. >> talk about food, grocery stores are receiving even more traffic here at the super market in east fayetteville, the demand for basic essentials is high. >> we have ran out of milk. we have run out of -- getting ready to run out of bread. >> reporter: normally this shelf is fully stocked with bread. it's almost bare now. the store manager says they sold about 150 loaves. as folks are preparing for the storm within the first couple

>> little ham hawks. >> that man drove from chapel hill to fill his refrigerator up. >> you never know what to expect from a storm. you might as well get what you can get while you can get it. it may come like they say and you can never predict mother nature. >> reporter: the main advice we're hearing from officials here, be careful, be cautious, if you have to hit the roads, watch where you're going, drive safely, that's the latest in fayetteville, nate rogers, wncn news now. with this cold weather, it brings fire and carbon monoxide dangers. >> last year a 50-year-old durham man died due to carbon monoxide poisoning. he was using a generator to warm his house after losing power. they want to warn you about the dangers of bringing generators inside your home. the cdc says hundreds of people across the country die every year due to unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. >> it's a missing place,

>> fire officials say you should install and maintain carbon monoxide alarms and it's a good time of year to check your alarm batteries as well. here's a few things to keep in mind if you have to shovel snow, number one, take it slow. shoveling can raise your heart rate and blood pressure dramatically. also be sure to push the snow as you shovel. it's easier on your back than lifting and don't pick up too much snow at once. tonight 80 million americans are on the east coast bracing for a major winter storm. washington dc could see the worst of it. dc's mayor declared a state of emergency clearing the way for federal resources should they need them. 100 snowplows will take to the streets when the storm hits. schools are closed tomorrow in dc. >> we're preparing for a blizzard. i lived in dc most of my life. i don't know that i've lived through a forecast like this.

it'll last for 36 hours. >> and heading north, parts of news room are under a blizzard warning tonight. the big concern along the coast, high winds and a storm surge. crews spent the day carting in additional sand to protect homes and businesses from flooding. new jersey could see a storm surge between 2 and 4 feet. meanwhile it was rough going for president obama's motorcade last night due to snow. presidential vehicles slid across slick roads on the way to the white house. it took an hour for the president and his staff to get to the white house safely. no problem like that for us. for this rather. this is a coast guard. it's powered it way through thick ice in greenbay it uses a 25 horse power engine to break up the ice to ships can continue their voyages. the operation clears the way for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of material to flow through the area. winter weather is expected to move through the area over night. chief meteorologist wes hohenstein here now. today was actually pretty nice

>> if it's july, it's still a cold day but sunny and 44. that's one of the warmer days we've had in a while. tomorrow's going to be such a drastic difference. it's not like a winter storm where everyone's off school and you get to play in the snow. it's going to be a miserable day. it's going to be cold and windy. and then it's going to be raining and sleeting and freezing rain and snowing all day long. >> it's going to be a mess. >> you'll want to stay inside. you might get to play in it on saturday when we get more snow. but here it is. look at all that green. that rain is heading in our direction. it's going to turn to all that stuff i mentioned as we head into the over night hours. cold temperatures out there right now. upper 20s and low 30s. and these cold temperatures are really setting the stage for the problems we're going to have. because if it was 60 degrees all week long and then we've got this winter storm coming. the ground will be warm. it'll save us from a lot of problems. but that's not been the case. it's been cold this week. it's also been a pleasant day when it comes to winds.

now are calm. but added into the mix tomorrow, strong winds gusting up to 25 miles per hour. and that's going to come into play with a little bit of ice. if it gets on a tree. the tree might hold up if the winds are calm. you bring along the strong wind and that's going down on power lines and other things. that's another issue we have to deal with tomorrow. let's take you straight to tomorrow morning. we expect it to be raining, sleeting, snowing across most of the area for the morning commute. temperatures start off around 26. that will feel like 20. 28 at 9:00 will feel like 18. as the winds pick up, the windchill will stay in the low 20s all day as we barely get above freezing. and again, i really think it's going to be precipitating in some form all day long. and we could have all four types of winter precipitation. we could have snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain. i've taken a slice of the atmosphere just like you'd cut

the whipped cream, you have the apples and the crust. so this is a slice of the atmosphere. and the two things i'm worried about this weekend, tomorrow, freezing rain. rain falling through the atmosphere then freezing when it gets down to the surface. and then saturday, we're going to see more of a light snow event. it's not going to be a fun day to play outside. here we are at 3:00 a.m. here comes the precipitation. starting off briefly as snow. and then quickly turning the sleet and freezing rain. coming to the triangle, about 5:00 a.m. and then here we are at 8:00 a.m. it's over spread most of the area. more snow by the virginia border. more of that wintery mix of freezing rain for everyone else. all morning long and early afternoon. late afternoon, here comes the low pressure, bringing warm air. watch as we head through the evening, more rain, less snow, less freezing rain. but still a mix falling in a good portion of the area friday night. over night, more rain, there goes the low, then on the

more snow. it's going to be more of a light snow event. not a lot. if you want a lot of snow, you'll have to go farther north. then we finally start to get out of this as we head into late in the day saturday. so here are our final snowfall total forecast numbers. again, those of you far south and east, probably only going to see rain. up to an inch across the sand hills and the i-95 corridor. here in the triangle -- here in wake county i should say, 1 to 3. but you go into northern wake county and durham and orange county, it could be 3 to 5 inches. go a few more miles to the northwest, 5 to 10. so an amazingly aggressive snow line here. a little shift will have a big difference in what we get. as far as the ice, the worst of it, west of the triangle, so from moore county up to orange county. and durham county. that's a half inch. that's going to cause problems with trees and power. and of course roads and bridges. and then a little bit less.

i think you're out of the woods east of i-95. but all of this coming together, the snow and ice, along with the wind. and temperatures that don't get out of the 30s will make for a dangerous and really miserable day. tomorrow, it's all about the ice with snow. saturday, it's just snow. and then sunday, we start to dry out. 45 degrees. that sounds good, right? monday we're up to 50. and then a little bit of rain tuesday and wednesday. so we've got a mess coming. a lot of people have been asking me about this. of course we've got a big football game in charlotte. sunday night. all of this mess will be gone. charlotte's going to have their own problems the next couple days. so hopefully they can turn things around for the game sunday fight. but if you're going down there, it's going to be cold, dry, but cold and in the 30s. >> definitely bundle up. >> tomorrow's the messiest day it sounds like. >> it's going to be miserable outside. saturday you might get to play

>> not a fun snow day tomorrow for sure. csx responded to concerns about a plan to build a controversial hub near selma.

in response to csd is responding to last night's commissioner meeting. many people who live there

last night commissioners spoke out against the location for the proposed hub say they're against imminent domain that threatens land for several people. csx issued a statement saying it's grateful for further discussions and looking forward to continuing the conversation. here's a look at what we're working on for 11:00. >> watching winter weather, wncn news now will have continuing team coverage as the storm moves closer to our area. plus a warning tonight for thousands of parents with babies. which car seat company is issuing a massive recall and what's putting your baby at risk. here's what's coming up

a pretty nice looking li well we are now hours away from a significant winter storm coming our way. it'll move in from the southwest starting at 2:00 a.m tomorrow morning and not wrapping up until saturday night. we could see up to 1/2-inch of ice and 1 to 5 inches of snow. this will create big problems

we've all ready had plenty of schools cancel. tomorrow, my biggest concern is the ice. then some snow on saturday before dry weather is back sunday. we've got you covered. arnold the latest developments on air, online, and on our news apps. >> tune in tomorrow morning at

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