Winter storm warnings and emergency preparations spread across parts of the Carolinas and Virginia ahead of a weekend storm that forecasters say could rapidly intensify just off the Carolina coast, as communities across the eastern United States were still dealing with the aftermath of last week's deadly cold and ice.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order declaring a statewide state of emergency Thursday, citing projections that a winter storm was expected to begin affecting the state on or about Friday.
The order designates the entire state as the emergency area and authorizes state emergency actions, including deployment of the State Emergency Response Team by the Department of Public Safety.
Stein urged residents to prepare for another round of winter weather.
"As another round of winter weather moves into North Carolina, this time possibly bringing snow, I urge everyone to stay alert and take precautions," he said in a statement.
The National Weather Service said a winter storm warning was issued for all of central North Carolina from late Friday through midday Sunday, with widespread snowfall of 3 to 10 inches expected there, along with gusty winds that could reduce visibility and contribute to scattered power outages.
The National Weather Service office in Wilmington, North Carolina, said significant snow was possible across northeast South Carolina and southeast North Carolina, with a heavy snow band that could push local totals higher, along with dangerous marine conditions and the potential for storm-force wind gusts over coastal waters.
The storm was described as a nor'easter that could "bomb" out, shorthand for rapid intensification known as bombogenesis.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describes bombogenesis as a rapidly intensifying midlatitude cyclone, marked by a steep pressure fall over a 24-hour period, with the threshold varying by latitude.
Forecast confidence drops farther north, with disagreement among models on the storm track and potential snow impacts in Massachusetts and Maine, including along Cape Cod and the islands.
The new storm threat comes days after a sprawling winter system brought heavy snow and ice across a wide swath of the country.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that at least 85 people had died in areas affected by bitter cold from Texas to New Jersey.
Snow is expected to begin Friday evening as the system develops over the Tennessee Valley and the Appalachians, with minimal impacts at first but light snow possible in Nashville and Gatlinburg in Tennessee, as well as in parts of Virginia.
By Saturday morning, a coastal low is expected to form and spread snow quickly across higher terrain in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and northern Georgia, with Saturday forecast to bring the bulk of the snowfall.
Snow could intensify in interior cities — including Richmond, Raleigh, and Charlotte in North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina — with a "conservative" 8 to 12 inches projected and a favored bullseye in North Carolina.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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