Salt spreader trucks crisscrossed coastal roads as courthouses and schools closed Friday to prepare for a snow and ice storm expected to snarl parts of the Carolinas and Virginia unaccustomed to winter precipitation.
Authorities along a stretch of the North and South Carolina coast warned that ice accumulation could cause major power outages, while areas northeast of them stretching into Virginia could see several inches of snow.
School districts in the pathway canceled classes, or went to remote learning, while two large coastal military bases modified operations. Fifty-seven courthouses from the central part of North Carolina to the coast closed for modified operations due to the forecast.
Dozens of counties running from South Carolina to Virginia were under winter storm and ice warnings Friday as the storm approached, USA Today reported. Beach cities like Wilmington, North Carolina and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina braced for weather that would "cause significant impact to travel, along with stress to trees and power lines," according to their Weather Service.
Wilmington, North Carolina-area shelters prepared for temperatures to drop well below freezing overnight, and made arrangements to welcome in those experiencing homeless, Star News Online reported.
Myrtle Beach's Post and Courier reported that the storm could be the most damaging the town has seen in that area since February 2014, when icy weather knocked out power to thousands.
