After getting heavy rain during the wee hours Tuesday morning, large wet snowflakes begin to fall heavily on the county about 8 a.m. causing slushy conditions to form on some roads, which lead to a dozen or so minor accidents in several locations.
The morning temperatures were slightly above freezing at 34 degrees Wednesday, according to official readings at 7 a.m. from the F.G. Doggett Water Plant.
Trooper Rex Carter of the North Carolina Highway Patrol said he estimated at least 15 calls about cars sliding off into holes or ditches at about 8 a.m. yesterday. He said the calls took place within a 15- to 20-minute time span.
He said that slidings occurred throughout the area on N.C. 89 East, Pine Ridge Road, I-77, Hiatt Road and N.C. 103, which was closed for two hours because of three previous wrecks that morning which made the road impassable.
“They had to wait for salt trucks to come and melt the ice,” he said. “(The snow) caught everybody by surprise.”
According to the trooper, there were no reports of injuries at any of the accidents.
There were no traces of snow at the time the temperature was recorded by the water plant, said a water plant representative. Snow didn’t start falling until around 8 a.m. after some time of heavy rains.
There was at least a half an inch of precipitation by 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Contact Erin C. Perkins at eperkins@mtairynews.com or 719-1952.
Post a Comment
