In like a lion

Issued by The National Weather Service
Raleigh/Durham, NC
3:53 pm EST, Sun., Mar. 1, 2009

... WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM EST MONDAY...

A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW CURRENTLY OVER EASTERN GEORGIA WILL PIVOT NORTHEAST ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA TONIGHT. AS THIS OCCURS... WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO REDEVELOP ACROSS THE WARNING AREA. ALTHOUGH PRECIPITATION MAY INITIALLY BEGIN AS A WINTRY MIX... PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO BECOME ALL SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. LOCALLY HEAVY SNOWFALL CAN BE EXPECTED AT TIMES OVERNIGHT... WITH THE HEAVIEST SNOW MOST LIKELY FALLING ALONG THE INTERSTATE 40 AND INTERSTATE 85 CORRIDOR FROM CHAPEL HILL... WEST TO GREENSBORO... AND SOUTHWEST TO CHARLOTTE.

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AMOUNTS ACROSS THE WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 3 TO 6 INCHES... WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS. THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO FALL ACROSS THE TRIAD AND WESTERN PIEDMONT... IN LOCATIONS SUCH AS BURLINGTON... GREENSBORO... WINSTON SALEM... ASHEBORO... AND ALBEMARLE. THE LIGHTEST AMOUNTS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE EXPECTED TO FALL ALONG AND EAST OF THE HIGHWAY 1 CORRIDOR... INCLUDING LOCATIONS SUCH AS RALEIGH... AND LOUISBURG.

DESPITE THE PREVIOUS WARM CONDITIONS... TRAVEL WILL LIKELY BECOME TREACHEROUS LATE TONIGHT AS SNOWFALL BEGINS TO ACCUMULATE ON AREA ROADS AND HIGHWAYS DURING PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOW. TRAVEL ON BRIDGES AND OVERPASSES WILL BE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS. IN ADDITION... STRONG AND GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED... AND WIND CHILLS COULD FREQUENTLY DROP INTO THE TEENS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING.

CITIZENS OF CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA ARE URGED TO MONITOR THE LATEST FORECASTS AND CONDITIONS... AND TO AVOID TRAVEL TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING IF POSSIBLE.

As a citizen of Central North Carolina, I'd happily do my civic duty and avoid travelling on Monday morning. I'm already planning on it, in fact. The day has been cold, wet and raw and I'm just waiting for the snow to start. I'm sure it will be lovely and it will be even lovelier if I don't have to drive in it. I can easily drive in the snow in Michigan, but trying to maneuver up and down these slippery hills is no fun.

Of course, after all this hype if we don't get a decent snow cover I'm going to complain loudly to the management.