michael: our crews are out there. travelers rest. carol: first let's check in with chief meteorologist john cessarich he's tracking all of this. john: what a mess. as expected, rain changing to sleet and snow. temperatures continue to can you -- cool down. the operating in the middle of the atmosphere. rain. gradually cooling down. 39 degrees in spartanburg. 36 in asheville. here is what it looks like. you can see the snow. rain, some of it heavy at times. we continue to cool down overnight. just in time for rush-hour tomorrow morning. freezing rain mixed with sleet.

they're going to see all snow from this event, as much as two feet of snow. 1:00, that area slides further south. wraparound moisture tomorrow night. cold air behind the system, changing our freezing rain and sleet to snow showers across the area. we will be watching that closely. as far as snow in the upstate, 1-4 inches of snow. right around the corridor, expect a couple of inches. the mountains, mainly snow. mixed with some sleep. also freezing rain. a real mess. this is just the start. back to you. michael: right now we know this. tens of thousands of students across our region will miss school tomorrow, including those in greenville county. you can look for the up to date list, scrolling at the bottom of your screen. carol: buncombe county is on that list of cancellations as well. it's the largest school district in western north carolina.

coverage with wyff news 4's corey davis. he's live and local in asheville with how families are getting ready. corey? corey: the situation is changing constantly in asheville. it is starting to rain. but overall, people haven't had big issues getting around on the roads. it snowed yesterday and so far we haven't seen any of that quite yet today. but that didn't stop parents from flocking to grocery stores with all these school closures tomorrow. take a look at this parking lot at the ingles on long shoals road in asheville. an open parking space was hard to come bybyor drivers. we talked with people who were stocking up on batteries and other items they felt they needed to make it through the storm. one man even said it looked like black friday during the holiday season. >> i'm hoping to find bread still on the shelves today and some milk, so we'll see. i have a few things on the list

up for a couple of days. >> i think it's quite comical. i'm from the frozen tundra of green bay, wisconsin and i look around and it looks like a nuclear war is going to happen.. corey: it might not be the end of the world but the snow that fell on wednesday in western north carolina was enough to get people's attention. local law enforcement agencies are asking you to stay off the roads as much as possible when there's snow and ice. right now north carolina road crews and state troopers are offended vehicles off the roadways that could possibly be a safety risk to drivers. will continue to bring the latest conditions in nashville first thing any morning. michael: thank you. down the mountain, in greenville county, it's a different threat, according to the forecast now. carol: more ice than snow, and both are dangerous on the roads. wyff news 4's stephanie trotter joins us live and local in travelers rest, with some good

must. stephanie: that is right. we will get to those in a minute. we are in front of the whistle stop in travelers rest to a light rain started falling about two hours ago. currently, 39 degrees. crews here watching closely to see what happens in the next couple of hours. >> the state has activated its snow and ice plan. crews are ready to roll with salt brine trucks after pretreating the interstate and major roads across greenville county. managers are paying particular attention to the northern mountain roads. in travelers rest the fire and , rescue department has doubled up manpower, so twice as many engines can go out if needed. the men spent the day spreading snow chains, gasing up chain saws and filling up their 42,000 pound trucks. after 13 years on the job, jamie richards has learned to use extra preparation and precaution during winter storms. clerks we've had several, we've

icy roads then have other cars come down roads and have more wrecks. we watch out for our safety also. so we don't get injured oursel carol: even though crews have been treating the roads all day but they can still be dangerous. if you lose control. take your foot off the accelerator and turn the steering wheel in the direction you want to go. michael: do not apply the brakes. you also want to make sure you have things like a flashlight jumper cables and blankets in your car. and be sure that your cell phone is fully charged. michael: to spartanburg now. they're stocking up on supplies there and across the region. carol: when the storm moves in, the winter supplies move out of stores. wyff news 4 john lyon is live in spartanburg outside an ingles store. he joins us live and local tonight. john? john: it started raining about right now, it is just a light

shoppers have been out here all night, stocking up on storm supplies. shovels and sold at the nearby lows. -- lowe's. and here, sandwich fixings. >> people don't know what the weather is reporter: the coming storm sent shoppers spinning. >> food. the basics, water. serial, milk. >> bread. eggs. all that stuff. reporter: he brought- bought a snow shovel. >> pre-treating some of the property for the storm to hit. >> classes were canceled. any student who could go home,

reporter: other travelers wanted to be safe. >> we ended up leaving a day early because of the snow storm. so we knew we would be stuck in charlotte all weekend if we didn't so we are trying to get home. reporter: this store is open till midnight and people are coming out of here with groceries, getting everything they need before the storm comes. reporting live from spartanburg, john lyon. michael: thank you. let's get you down the road to anderson. ews are in waiting to s brings. carol: we want to give you a quick live look at the roads there tonight, just to let you know it's all clear for now. but to remind you, that will change, and we're positioned to show you the conditions live. michael: you're looking h a normally busy interchange in anderson county. that's highway 81 at interstate 85. looking live on southbound 81. keep tuned to wyff news 4, we'll keep the cameras trained on the effects of the coming storm. carol: there's a chance the orm might bring down power lines. utility companies are already

dark. duke energy has been working with a team of meteorologists in preparation for the oncoming storm. more than 3000 line technicians are at the ready but that's not all. >> we've also been in contact with other utilities in the southeast through a mutual aid agreement and they've already started sending individuals north to assist us, they'll be staging in the carolinas today and into the evening. carol: duke energy says if your power does go out it's best to hit the off switch on as many appliances and electronics as you can. this puts less demand on the power lines when the electricity is restored. michael: back to north carolina where the state is under a state of emergency, ahead of the storm. governor pat mccrory gathered his team to prepare. today, he laid out the plan. >> i have activated the state emergency call center. we have declared a state of emergency allowing me to deploy central assets for storm

michael: he also said troopers will look for abandoned vehicles on the roads. carol: in asheville public works employees are already on 12 hour shifts prepping for tomorrow's storm. crews spent the morning pre-wetting streets with brine and loading trucks with tons of salt and sand. a supervisor for the department asks, if you can park in driveways, or off the streets, it helps them get their work done that much quicker. but their number one concern, safety. >> their children and pets, when we're going through the neighborhoods if they are out, just keep an eye on them because we don't want to have no accidents. carol: the crews say today's sunny, warmer weather also helps keep the roads thawed and melt anything coming their way. michael: in south carolina, same thing. the major concern in the upstate is the safety of the roads, today dot crews spent the day using a salt solution to pretreat the roads, hoping to forestall freezing. brandon wilson from the dot tells us that crews are already pulling 12 hour shifts. they call it winter weather

>> you know we're trying to keep the roads safe for all the public. you know we don't want anybody to drive up to one of our trucks and have damage to the vehicle or cause an accident with one of our trucks. we appreciate the public's help in allowing us to do our jobs. michael: crews say this particular storm has been hard to track. carol: don't forget we have your forecasts, interactive radar closing and delays on wyff 4.com and our wyff 4 app. for school closings just check the bottom of your screen for the latest. stay up to date with our alerts. on all of your devices. michael: it's been a deadly night on a road in spartanburg county. the highway patrol says the crash took a life on howell road tonight around 8:00. troopers are still working this, the road was blocked for a time. no details so far. of course, stay with wyff 4 4om and the wyff 4 mobile app for

carol: in anderson now also a deadly wreck. highway patrol says it happened on old river road. officials say a car veered off the road into the woods. a person was pronounced dead on scene. another rushed to the hospital. for the latest stay with wyff news 4 on air and on wyff 4. michael: some greenville county deputies were recognized tonight for their service. it was the 35th annual awards ceremony held in greenville. sheriff steve loftis handed out awards and service pins to more than four dozen deputies. their time on the job ranged from 10 to 40 years with the those honored tonight were selected by their fellow co-workers. anchor: overcast skies with rain. a cool rain, it is going to become a cold rain and change to

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carol: in charlotte, the upcoming storm has already caused havoc in the air. americans airlines has cancelled all flights tomorrow in and out of charlotte douglas international airport. airline officials say about 650 flights and thousands of passengers will be impacted. flights scheduled for late tonight have also been canceled. airport officials say they expect other airlines to cancel all of their flights on friday as well. michael: just a reminder , although they have fur your pets aren't immune to this bitter cold. officials say dogs and cats can suffer from frostbite and hypothermia just like the rest of us. and it's best to bring them inside on nights like this, and tomorrow night. plus the cold can also affect a pet's mood. pet experts say animals that don't get enough exercise when it's cold may become irritable and anxious. veterinarians recommend opening up the blinds and turning on

conquer winter blues. carol: we want to know how you like to enjoy a snowy day. vote in our now poll on wyff 4.com, on facebook, or on twitter. michael: some of you want to stay home. lots of folks want to go skiing, movies popular about this time of year. i'm surprised the 14% outside is not higher. carol: i am not surprised at all. michael: we will keep that pull running. from the mid-atlantic to new england towns and cities are getting ready for a blockbuster. this is a look from maryland one , of the many places that could literally feet of snow. carol: tonight our nation's capital is bracing for the washington d.c. under a warning blizzard. expecting some two feet of snow it's the first big snow storm of the season and it's going to be a doozy for millions of americans. michael: this was also the scene in d.c. after just one or two inches. cars abandoned along the

d.c. traffic always to go to read a couple of inches make it worse. that situation is about to get worse. john: they thought that was bad. a little bit of snow overnight last night caused problems in the nation's capital. they are under a blizzard warning. they could see anywhere from two feet-three feet of snow. that will start as we go into the weekend. same system responsible for us is moving into the northeastern area. we are gradually starting to cool the temperatures down. of operation and cooling taking place. rain mixed with sleet and snow. that is going to change over to all snow and sleet. look at how it is expanding. 36 in nashville.

boone, snow for the entire event . maybe sleet from time to time. that is why you are going to get an incredible amount of snow. 41 in anderson. 41 in toccoa. of operational cooling in gainesville. if we had dry air like a couple of days ago, these temperatures would drop quicker and we would have had wheezing rain, sleet, and snow. it will take a while for of operative cooling to take place. that through the night. especiallyuring the day tomorrow as the wedge gets established and the wind kicks air. about rates the moisture. winter storm warning continues for the pink shaded area across most of our viewing area. significant snow, ice.

winter weather advisory. saturday. friday, newberry county. you are under a freezing rain advisory. probably about your .1 inches. -- probably about 0.1 inches. look at how that forms toward the north carolina line. that expands, to abbeville and greenwood. lawrence, you will see be freezing rain mixed with sleet. that changes what frozen stuff we have to snow. snow showers tomorrow night,

continuing until 4:30 in the morning. things shift to a northwest flow. this is what i am forecasting. mainly ice and through the upstate. as much as half an inch of ice. it we get that, that is paralyzing. it is going to close everything down. we will see limbs coming down on top of power lines. even a quarter inch of ice on branches, knocking some of them down. we are going to have to watch this closely. dangerous situation. mainly snow in the mountains. a live shot, downtown greenville, high pressure to the north. the main system comg in from the west, this will be the big

here we go saturday morning. wraparound snow showers especially in the mountains. one-to-three inches of snow in certain areas. there is the blizzard watch for new york city. northwest flow, downsloping winds, sunshine by saturday afternoon. one of the american models, it has been consistently showing record snowfall. right now, this is what i think is going to happen. 1:00 friday afternoon. maybe one-three inches.

snow and sleet. sleet and freezing rain. just a real mess. it gets worse as we go through the weekend. we will keep you updated. now back to you. carol: wyff four is your source for the latest when it comes to our first major winter storm of the season. we'll bring you live team coverage tomorrow morning starting a half an hour early at 4:00. michael: and remember, when we're not on air. you can track the storm and get the latest on school closings and weather alerts at wyff 4.com and using the wyff 4 mobile app. carroll: let's turn to sports. the panthers having to make some adjustments for the storm.

of concern. travel to charlotte is something they have to be worried about. an update from the stadium, next. and the gamecocks go on the road, unbeaten.

>> i just remember, keeping a promise to mr richardson and our relationship, and for us to be in this point, it is kind of like panning out just like we imagined extra number of years ago. anchor: a culture change has taken place in the panthers organization since cam newton was drafted. he said today, the players with a championship minn the minority when he showed up in he said now, the entire 2011. locker room is pulling the rope the same direction. a couple injur returned to pray defensive end jared allen, who is still listed as dth a broken bone in his fo, he participated in limited workouts today, and running back jonathan stewart was back at practice. he was held out yesterday as more of a precautionary measure, as he continues to recover from a foot injury. josh norman says he is ready to play this game right now, norman is one of two greenwood high school grads that will play norman always plays with a chip sunday.

something to priove, and says the hardest thing to do right now is just wait for kickoff. >> >> my emotions right now, i am trying to be in even keel, but to tell you the truth i am just ready for this game to start, to be honest you. i have it waiting and waiting, but it is only thursday, so we have a couple more days. >> josh norman is a premier cornerback, there is a reason he is going to be the high est paid free agent in the offseason, whatever team he goes to i hope it is in the afc so we don't have to deal with him, he is playing at an extremely high level. brad: high praise from one of best receivers in this league, norman says he expects the cardinals to throw the football possibly 50 plus times sunday night, which he said hopefully gives him a chance to make a play or a quick update on what two. the panthers expect field conditions to be like sunday after this weather. the crews are preparing the field right now for the game, and before the weather arrives

, down, and panthers offic say the tarps are exo stay down until sometime saturday afternoon, when the weather passes. join us saturday night,a full hour dedicated to the panthers run to the nfc championship game, lots of features, and we will have a little fun to read saturday night from 7:00 to 8:00 here. the south carolina women still perfect on the season, the 17-0. coming off 3 wins against top 20 teams in the last couple weeks, the gamecocks on the plains tonight facing auburn, usc trying to add to their lead in the comfort standing. auburn's katie frerking drives inside. out of bounds by a'ja wilson. the south carolina defense showed up. khadijah sessions with the steal. as south carolina knocks off

usc upstate trying to climb back into it. a big night for michael you can them lose tonight, to north florida. i mentioned during the break, the arizona cardinals have not changed their travel plans. they're planning to fly out of phoenix saturday morning. michael: hope that is ok.

more time before we go.

precipitation coming in. we will be changing to sleet and snow. in, cooling down. changing to freezing rain and sleet. i will be here all night, waiting for chris justus to relieve me. for the next two-three hours, i will update the weather. i will keep you up to date. michael: long day and night tomorrow. thank you. carol: good night. [captioning performed by the national captioning institute, which is responsible for its