NORFOLK, Va. (AP) – The Carolinas and Virginia are bracing for more winter weather, with some schools canceling classes as state officials urged residents to prepare for the storm and stay off potentially icy roads.
Forecasters predict the storm will arrive as mixed precipitation on Thursday, followed by a round of snow on Friday night into Saturday. The winter blast could ice over a large swath of eastern North Carolina and the northeastern corner of South Carolina, while dumping snow on the Norfolk, Virginia, area, according to the National Weather Service.
The forecast prompted Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin to declare a state of emergency Thursday that will remain in effect through Saturday. His executive order allows the state greater flexibility in mobilizing people and resources to prepare and respond.
“I urge all Virginians to monitor their local weather forecasts and take personal safety precautions to ensure their safety and the safety of their families,” Youngkin said in a statement that called on Virginians to stay off the road during hazardous conditions.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper signed a state of emergency Wednesday ahead of the storm, the second to hit the state in a week. Last week’s storm’s impacts were felt most in western and central North Carolina, but this storm is expected to bring ice to the southeast and snow to the Raleigh area northeast toward the coast.