Meteorologists say the bulk of the snowfall should occur late Saturday into early morning Sunday, tapering off after that.
As of Friday morning, the National Weather Service had very high confidence (99%) in at least two inches of snowfall in Wilmington and Southport and fairly high confidence (84%) in at least four inches of snow in the area. There was much lower confidence (less than 20%) of a foot or more of snow.
Regardless of snowfall amounts, it will likely be hazardous to travel from Saturday through Monday afternoon. Officials are also advising that impacts from the cold weather could be frostbite on exposed skin or hypothermia. They estimate Saturday and Sunday nights will be the worst for these extremely cold temperatures, where wind chills could drop to negative degrees.
Scattered power outages are also expected from Saturday afternoon into Sunday. Officials say to expect considerable disruptions to daily life.
As for wind gusts and the marine forecast, meteorologists say hazardous winds and seas will build late Friday evening, continuing through Sunday night. Gale-force winds will likely occur late Saturday into Sunday. These strong gusty winds could result in blowing snow, causing “whiteout conditions," where one will not be able to see.
It’s strongly advised not to take any seafaring vessel out, as they could get damaged or capsize.
Officials say to practice good indoor safety, like checking your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. They say the danger of CO poisoning is greater when doors and windows stay closed, and fireplaces and gas heaters are in use. This also goes for warming up a vehicle in the garage or when snow covers the tailpipe.
Many HOAs and apartment complexes also recommend that residents let their faucets run a small amount overnight, when the temperatures are deeply below freezing.
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