Beaufort County sees average of 3 1/2 inches of snow, black ice remains a concern

Published 12:42 pm Friday, February 21, 2020

The sun is out and the places where snow accumulated across the county is seeing a slow melt. But meteorologists with the National Weather Service say that black ice Friday night and perhaps even Saturday night is something to watch out for.

“That’s definitely the concern, the refreezing of anything on the roads,” said Ryan Ellis, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Newport/Morehead City office. “We might get some help from the wind today to dry that out, but certainly ponding water in low-lying areas has a real good chance to refreeze.”

Ellis said, on average, Beaufort County received about 3 1/2 inches of snow overnight, with some areas receiving more or less, depending on location. For example, some residents of Blounts Creek got about an inch, where others only got a light dusting.

“You guys had some of the higher totals up that way,” Ellis said. “Warm ground temperatures at the coast cut down on accumulation numbers. It snowed for 5-6 hours, and there’s really nothing to show for it on the ground.”

Temperatures are expected to drop again about mid-evening and got down in the low 20s tonight.

“Mid-morning tomorrow, it will be safely back up over freezing,” Ellis said. “But you could have that lingering black ice until Sunday. … Just a precaution to stay safe on the roadways, especially the overpasses and bridges — they might freeze a little bit quicker tonight.”