The winter weather sweeping through southeastern North Carolina over the next 24 hours is actually two distinct storm systems.
Points north and west of Wilmington, including Burgaw, Elizabethtown, and Lumberton, could see two to four inches of snow.
The forecast is a little rosier for the Wilmington area.
Meteorologist Tim Armstrong with the National Weather Service says that in spite of the near-constant rain and sleet, he doesn’t expect to see any serious problems on Tuesday. After a potential rainfall of one to two inches, there will be a break in the action overnight.
"About daybreak tomorrow, we should see the precipitation begin again after that lull tonight. And we’ll see heavy freezing rain and sleet across the Cape Fear region in the morning transitioning over to rain here at the coast thankfully which will prevent a lot of the problems that they’ll be experiencing farther inland."
Those problems could involve a significant accumulation of snow and ice in the northern parts of our listening area. While those areas in Pender, Columbus, and Robeson Counties probably won’t see a full melt until Friday, Armstrong predicts the start of a thaw Wednesday afternoon.
"Yes, anything that’s on the roads anywhere in the Cape Fear region, including Pender County, should begin to thaw out tomorrow. Our temperatures tomorrow should sneak up far enough into the 30s that our road conditions should improve markedly anywhere where there is ice on the roads."
Power outages are also a threat for those inland areas that will see larger accumulations.
