LUMBERTON — Robeson County residents looking up at blue, sunny skies today may doubt that the county is facing a freezing rain advisory, but the forecast is calling for some ice overnight and possibly some of the fluffy stuff on Saturday.

Parts of Robeson County experienced minor sleet Wednesday night, while Fayetteville and surrounding areas were pelted throughout the evening. In preparation, Department of Transportation crews sprayed brine on primary routes in Robeson County on Wednesday, while anti-icing operations began on major routes in Harnett and Columbus counties on Tuesday.

Robeson County appears positioned to be dodging the worst as central North Carolina counties are already seeing some power outages and school cancellations.

According to the Associated Press, the National Weather Service has issued either winter storm warnings or advisories for 56 counties across the northern half of North Carolina, including neighboring Scotland and Cumberland counties. Up to 18 inches of snow are possible in the mountains and up to 8 inches are possible in central North Carolina.

The National Weather Service’s Weather Prediction Center is warning of heavy, “perhaps crippling” snow across the northern mid-Atlantic region, including Baltimore, Washington and Philadelphia, probably beginning Friday, the wire service reports.

Gov. Pat McCrory, addressing the weather during a press conference this morning, declared a state of emergency. McCrory said the winter weather already caused two fatalities in traffic accidents over night.

Lumberton today should be sunny with a high near 46, but the chance for precipitation returns tonight, placing Robeson under a freezing rain advisory from midnight through 11 a.m. on Friday. The low overnight is 30 degrees.

According to the advisory, light accumulations of freezing rain are expected mostly west of the Interstate 95 corridor and “could result in patches of ice, especially on bridges and overpasses making travel difficult and dangerous.”

Sgt. Phillip Collins, with the state Highway Patrol in Lumberton, said Thursday morning that additional staff would be working Friday morning, but that most of the freezing rain should clear before motorists hit the roads in full-force to head to work.

Since this morning, forecasters have updated their predictions to call for lower temperatures on Friday.

“It could cause some problems if you’re driving,” said Dave Loewenthal, a forecaster with the Weather Service in Wilmington. “You’ll see a glaze on the trees and metal surfaces and there could be some power outages.”

Loewenthal said a layer of warm air is preventing precipitation from reaching the ground as snow.

Friday brings a 100 percent chance of precipitation, wind gusts as strong as 22 mph and temperatures topping out at  38 degrees. Earlier forecasts predicted the freezing rain would cease by 9 a.m., but forecasters now say it could continue to fall through 1 p.m.

Rain is likely Friday night with temperatures hovering around freezing.

Although Saturday will dawn with a chance of rain, snow is possible with a 50 percent chance of precipitation and a high near 37 degrees. The chance of precipitation will gradually drop overnight on Saturday, as will temperatures — the forecast calls for a low of 27.

“… Saturday there is going to be cold air all the way up, so whatever falls Saturday could come down as snow,” Loewenthal said.

In the event of an outage , Lumberton utility customers can call the city’s communications line at 910-671-3888.

Duke Energy customers can check the status of outages and report outages by calling 1-800-PowerOn or visiting duke-energy.com.

Customers with Lumbee River Electric Membership Corporation should call 910-843-4131 to report outages or downed lines. An outage map can be found at outages.lumbeeriver.com.

Sunday should bring some respite, with a forecast nearly identical to today’s clear, chilly weather.

File photo No, you didn’t miss out on the snow. This file photo is from February 2015, but there is a chance of the fluffy stuff on Saturday. Of immediate concern is ice that is in the forecast for tonight and Friday morning.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_snow-plow22415.jpgFile photo No, you didn’t miss out on the snow. This file photo is from February 2015, but there is a chance of the fluffy stuff on Saturday. Of immediate concern is ice that is in the forecast for tonight and Friday morning.

Gabrielle Isaac | The Robesonian Lumberton today should be sunny with a high near 46 but freezing rain is possible early Friday morning. A freezing rain advisory is in effect for Robeson County from midnight through 11 a.m. Friday.
https://www.robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/web1_IMG_0129.jpgGabrielle Isaac | The Robesonian Lumberton today should be sunny with a high near 46 but freezing rain is possible early Friday morning. A freezing rain advisory is in effect for Robeson County from midnight through 11 a.m. Friday.
Saturday’s forecast includes chance of snow

By Sarah Willets

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Sarah Willets can be reached at 910-816-1974 or on Twitter @Sarah_Willets.