Winter Weather PM Update

Here is the afternoon update from Beaufort County Emergency Services.

This afternoon’s update included minor adjustments to snow accumulations, as forecasters continue to try and identify where the heaviest bands of snow will set up. However, most of Beaufort County continues to be included within the 8-to-12-inch forecast range. Again, regardless of these or future adjustments to snowfall totals, we are still expected to receive “Major Impacts” (Treacherous driving conditions, extended closures and disruptions with normal daily activities, etc.) from this weekend’s winter weather.

Expected Hazards to Prepare For

We encourage everyone to utilize the remainder of the day to ensure that your family, friends, and neighbors are prepared for the following possible outcomes.

• Dangerous Road Conditions

◦ Hazard

▪ Snow may begin accumulating on our roadways as early as noon on Saturday. These conditions will quickly deteriorate as we move through the evening hours, with roadways likely remaining dangerous through Wednesday, as temperature struggle to get above freezing.

◦ Mitigation / Preparations

▪ Please be prepared to shelter in place and avoid unnecessary travel between noon Saturday and noon Tuesday. Doing so will prevent unnecessary vehicle accidents that require the response by our county’s first responders and allow DOT crews time to plow our roadways.

▪ If travel is necessary, please drive with caution, and avoid elevated bridges like our Hwy 17 bypass if possible.

• Cold Outside Temperatures

◦ Hazard

▪ We will experience below freezing temperatures between 6pm today and noon Monday, with overnight windchills between 0 and 10 degrees for both Saturday and Sunday nights.

◦ Mitigation / Preparations

▪ Please ensure that outside pets and animals have adequate shelter to protect them from these cold temperatures and falling precipitation.

▪ Avoid being outside if possible and utilize warm layers of clothing to cover exposed skin if you must be outside for extended periods of time.

• Isolated Power Outages

◦ Hazard

▪ While widespread, long duration power outages are not expected, isolated outages from high winds, vehicle accidents, etc. are possible.

◦ Mitigation / Preparations

▪ Ensure that you have a way to stay warm in the event you lose power for several hours. Also make sure you have flashlights, charged electronic devices, etc.

• Most importantly…..BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR

◦ Weather events like this can quickly exceed the abilities of public safety resources and requires a “whole community” approach. BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR by:

▪ Checking on elderly / vulnerable neighbors and family members. Especially if your community were to experience an isolated power outage. Ensure they are prepared to shelter in place from Saturday through Tuesday. (Warm clothes, blankets, food, medicine, flashlights, charged cell phone, etc.)

▪ Please avoid unnecessary travel between Saturday and Tuesday, and encourage your family, friends, and neighbors to do the same.

Changes to our previous briefings have been highlighted below.

Snowfall Accumulations

• Our area is currently forecasted to receive an average of 8 to 12 inches of snow. However, a band of heavier snow is expected to set up somewhere along Eastern NC, producing locally higher amounts. Unfortunately, we will likely not know where that heavier band will be until it appears on radar. (See the “Reasonable Worse Case” graphic below for possible accumulation totals for areas that are impacted by this developing heavier bands of snow.

Timing of Impacts

• Snow

◦ Light snow is currently forecasted to begin around 2am Saturday and continue through noon Sunday.

▪ Accumulating snow is likely by noon Saturday.

▪ Our heaviest snow is currently forecasted to occur between 1pm Saturday and 7am Sunday morning.

• High Winds

◦ North and Northwest winds will begin to increase shortly after sunrise Saturday, becoming sustained between 15 and 25 mph, with frequent gusts of 25 to 40 expected through sunset Sunday.

▪ Our highest winds are expected between 1am and 10am Sunday.

▪ Blizzard like or “whiteout” conditions are possible Saturday and Sunday and fall snow will be accompanied by high winds.

• Temperatures & Windchills

◦ Temperatures are expected to drop below freezing around sunset Friday and remain below freezing through noon on Monday, with windchills between -1 and 10 degrees Saturday and Sunday nights.

We anticipate releasing our next update by 9am tomorrow morning.