Snow falls across coastal North Carolina, Virginia; more than 12 million under winter alert

Wire Reports
Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 7:07 p.m. | Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 7:07 p.m.

A motorist navigates slippery conditions Thursday as snow falls in Mebane, N.C.

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The Virginian-Pilot

Umbrellas are out in downtown Norfolk, Va., as a snow rain mix begins to fall Thursday afternoon. Parts of Chesapeake could get 4 or 5 inches, while Norfolk is forecast to get 3 or 4 inches. Farther north, on the Peninsula, the predicted amounts have slightly decreased to 1 or 2 inches, according to the National Weather Service.

News & Record

Jessica Russo walks through falling snow Thursday in downtown Greensboro, N.C.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Snow was falling Thursday across North Carolina and Virginia, including in coastal areas that rarely see snow.

More than 12 million people were under some form of winter weather alert, including the Charlotte and Raleigh metro areas.

Gov. Roy Cooper said parts of northeastern North Carolina will see the most precipitation in the state, with as much as 3-6 inches. He issued a warning that, “Whiteout conditions are possible along the coast due to heavy snow and gusty winds.”

.@NCGovernor Roy Cooper addressed preparations for the upcoming winter storm and how people can stay safe earlier today: https://t.co/OlNf6xk0rQ pic.twitter.com/O9LgRjFB96

— AccuWeather (@accuweather) February 20, 2020

“The state is getting ready, and everyone else should too,” Cooper said, adding that “it’s going to get colder and this winter storm will affect most parts of North Carolina.”

The storm will bring dangerous conditions for drivers, CNN said, as black ice and snow accumulate on roads. Many school systems in North Carolina closed on Thursday in advance of the storm.

Early in-person voting sites in dozens of North Carolina’s 100 counties closed early on Thursday. Many voting sites were expected to have limited hours or to be closed on Friday, according to the State Board of Elections. Early voting for the March 3 primary ends Feb. 29.

In Virginia, the National Weather Service reported that snow was sticking in places such as Suffolk near the coast. The weather service said in tweets that much of southeast Virginia looks “like a winter wonderland,” but also cautioned that driving could be dangerous.

Snow is coming down heavily in Raleigh, knocking visibility down to only 1/2 of a mile.

Some of the heaviest snow will fall east of that location, across I-95, through the evening and into the night.#ncwx #vawx #tnwx pic.twitter.com/DZwiT9cYp0

— Geoff Cornish (@StormOfCorn) February 20, 2020

“Portions of North Carolina are forecast to get more snow today than Washington or Philadelphia have received all season,” CNN meteorologist Monica Garret said.