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Today, Governor Josh Stein and Director of Emergency Management Will Ray held a press conference to provide updates and guidance on winter weather.

A Winter Storm Warning is in effect today for the entire North Carolina coastline and inland counties in far eastern North Carolina, where six to eight inches of snowfall is possible. A Winter Weather Advisory is also in effect today for much of central North Carolina, where one to three inches of snowfall is possible.

“During winter weather, just like in any severe weather situation in our state, our number one priority is keeping people safe,” said Governor Josh Stein. “Please continue to monitor local weather reports, keep off the roads if you can, and stay prepared for possible power outages.”

“In areas that receive sleet and snowfall, accumulation is likely due to the cold ground temperatures, and we should expect slick roadway conditions,” said Director of Emergency Management Will Ray. “If you do not need to be on the road, please stay home for your safety and for the safety of our first responders.”

The State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh and the Regional Coordination Center – East activated this morning and have proactively deployed components of the North Carolina National Guard into the eastern part of the state to support any local emergency services and public safety needs. These components include multiple all-hazards response teams and two hot spot teams to support DOT with road clearance.

More than 800 N.C. Department of Transportation crews statewide have completed treating interstates, highways and well-traveled secondary roads for any snow and ice the state could receive. NCDOT employees will be working around the clock to respond once the precipitation begins, to plow and treat snow and ice until all state-maintained roads are cleared. To access current roadway conditions, visit https://drivenc.gov.

State and local emergency management personnel are remaining in close coordination to ensure all resources are available and ready to respond to any needs that arise. There are twenty-four local emergency operations centers at monitoring status, as well as one local emergency operations center that is open to manage the winter weather situation.

A Cold Weather Advisory remains in effect for the entire state tonight through midday Wednesday. Wind chill values as low as fourteen below zero will be possible across the mountains and single digits down to zero degrees are possible across the state tonight into tomorrow. In western North Carolina, an Extreme Cold Warning remains in effect tonight and into tomorrow where wind chill values as low as fifteen below zero are possible.

Multiple warming stations are opening throughout the day due to the cold temperatures. County emergency managers will be reporting any warming stations that are opening in their communities on their county websites.

For those in western North Carolina continuing to recover from the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene, resources, assistance with housing, and help navigating the recovery process are available through North Carolina Disaster Case Management Program. Please call 1-844-746-2326 or visit https://ncdps.gov/helene for support.