RALEIGH (AP) ó Highway Patrol troopers responded to hundreds of calls for help Tuesday morning as residents across most of North Carolina awoke to snowfall that forecasters say could reach 6 inches in some areas.
Snow was falling early from Boone in the mountains to Elizabeth City in the far northeast corner of the state, and included North Carolina’s major cities of Charlotte, Raleigh, Durham, Greensboro and Winston-Salem, according to the National Weather Service. More than 700 schools and businesses reported closings or late openings in central North Carolina alone.
Snow also was reported in several parts of South Carolina where many schools and businesses either closed or delayed opening.
North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman Capt. Everett Clendenin said Tuesday morning that troopers had responded to some 340 calls and the majority of those were collisions.
“That number will greatly increase throughout this day,” Clendenin said. He said that the wreck volume was increasing steadily, noting as an example that troopers have been dispatched to 30 crashes in the Triangle that they haven’t reached yet.
Clendenin urged people to drive only if they absolutely have to.
“The roads are getting worse, especially in the Triangle and the Triad,” Clendenin said. “DOT is working hard, they’re getting the salt and they’re scraping, but there’s still a fine layer that’s causing the problems.”
As of 6:30 a.m., Raleigh-Durham International Airport had canceled about 20 flights, and crews were treating the airport’s runways.
Several school districts canceled classes for the day, and officials at Fort Bragg announced the base would also be closed.
In South Carolina, some state government offices and schools across the northern and central portions of the state announcing closures or delaying the start of classes for several hours. Classes were also canceled at Winthrop University and Newberry College. Snow was reported at Greenwood, Greer and Rock Hill early Tuesday.
The National Weather Service predicted as much as 6 inches in parts of central North Carolina, where more than 700 schools and businesses reported closings or late openings.
Barrett Smith, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Raleigh, said some areas had reported snow as deep as 4 inches, with most of the region seeing 1 to 3 inches so far.
“The forecast for this afternoon continues to be, off and on, light to moderate snow,” Smith said.
Smith also cautioned that conditions could get worse on Wednesday after an overnight freeze in which temperatures can dip into the teens. He expected some melting Wednesday afternoon but not a full melt until Thursday, when temperatures are slated to reach close to 50.
Winter storm warnings, watches or advisories covered much of the Carolinas, most in effect through the afternoon.
Governments prepared for the weather, a task made harder because of Monday’s holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. In York County, S.C., just south of Charlotte, workers planned to dump a salt mixture to keep major roads and bridges from freezing.
In Columbia, city workers installed plows, loaded salt trucks and reviewed winter weather response plans.