The timeline for the current winter storm has shifted slightly. As one meteorologist at the National Weather Service tells WHQR’s Rachel Lewis Hilburn, the warnings are still valid and experts say this is an extremely rare – and serious – storm.
“I think a lot of people have been questioning ‘Where’s the snow?’”
That’s Reid Hawkins, Science Officer at the National Weather Service. He says that while the area has seen only spotty precipitation throughout the day, he stands by the initial forecast showing the biggest impacts will become apparent late this afternoon, and then grow throughout the evening and into the overnight hours.
“It’s probably best to be home before dark. We’re still looking for ¼ to ½ inch of ice accumulation in the Cape Fear area with 1-3 inches of snow towards daybreak tomorrow.”
When people wake up tomorrow morning, says Hawkins, they can expect to a layer of ice – probably covered with snow.
An event like this, says Hawkins, is so rare that only one other storm like this one shows up in the record books -- in this region.