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Charlotte Braces For Possible Winter Weather

Lisa Miller/WFAE News

As of Friday morning, some 270 trucks had spread 205,000 gallons of salt brine on roads across the state ahead of a winter storm expected to hit this weekend.

Governor Roy Cooper issued a state of emergency for all of North Carolina this afternoon. He said in a news conference earlier the storm could generate treacherous driving conditions and shut off electricity in parts of the state.

“My advice is to keep your family safe through the storm, make sure you gather your emergency supplies, follow weather forecasts closely, and be prepared to stay put for a few days when the storm rolls in and the roads become slick,” Cooper said.

In western parts of the state this morning, 80 trucks were conducting plowing operations and placing 1,750 tons of salt in the mountains and higher elevations where snow fell earlier in the week.

The National Weather Service says the Charlotte area will see a mix of rain, snow, and sleet -- between six and ten inches. It’s expected to start late Saturday night and continue through Monday morning.

Friday afternoon, the City of Charlotte held a news conference about what they’re doing to prepare. Liz Babson, the Director for the Charlotte Department of Transportation said they’ll be running 37 trucks, and all 200 members of the department will be on-call.

“We’re going to bring our crews in starting tomorrow night and we will begin a 24-hour operation,” Babson said. “We will continue to monitor the storm conditions throughout the storm and make adjustments in our response as necessary.”

Meanwhile, the Charlotte Douglas International Airport is preparing for delays. As of Friday afternoon, American, Delta, Frontier and Southwest airlines had issued travel advisories that passengers may have delayed or canceled flights. 

Cole del Charco is a journalist, writer and radio producer from Hickory, North Carolina.