The sun is coming up over eastern North Carolina, but the view from the windshield is anything but clear for drivers in Onslow, Carteret, Craven, and Pitt counties.
After a night where melting slush met plummeting temperatures, the morning commute has turned into a slow-motion battle against black ice.
Officials said eighborhood streets and secondary roads are icy and local law enforcement are asking people to stay home if they can.
In Pitt County, the main arteries around Greenville are seeing some pavement, but the transition to side streets is abrupt and treacherous. Local transit is sticking to a limited schedule, and several county service sites have pushed back their opening times to give salt crews a fighting chance.
In Craven County, the state of emergency remains a reality in New Bern. The Neuse River Bridge has been a primary point of concern, with patches of ice forming overnight that make the high-rise crossing extremely slick.
Along the coast, wind and water join the freezing temperatures. Carteret County is still digging out from significant snow totals, and with gusty winds pushing water into low-lying areas, coastal roads are dealing with a messy mix of slush and minor flooding.
In Onslow County, officials at Camp Lejeune and throughout Jacksonville are reminding drivers that just because a road looks wet doesn't mean it isn't frozen solid.
Temperatures are expected to hover near the freezing mark for the next several hours, meaning the "fresh freeze" isn't going anywhere fast. For those who absolutely must be on the roads, the advice from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol is universal: double your following distance, brake early, and treat every bridge like it’s made of glass.
Trooper said the goal for the region today is to get through the morning without a spike in fender-benders while waiting for the afternoon sun to do the heavy lifting.
In Bertie, Martin, Washington, and Beaufort counties, the region is still locked in a winter grip. A deceptive layer of freezing drizzle has moved in, coating the existing snowpack in a thin, glass-like glaze. This combination has turned the morning commute into a balancing act, especially for those navigating the rural stretches that define this part of eastern North Carolina.
In Martin County, authorities are keeping a close watch on the bridges, particularly the spans crossing the Roanoke River, which are notorious for freezing long before the solid ground.
The story is much the same in Bertie County, with secondary roads still largely covered in a crust of white and gray slush. Sheriff's deputies have been busy since daybreak responding to vehicles that have slid off the pavement, a reminder that even four-wheel drive is no match for a layer of solid ice.
The morning air remains biting in Tyrell County, and a fresh coat of freezing drizzle has added a slick new glaze to roads that were already struggling to clear.
State crews have been working tirelessly to keep US 64 open, but it remains a challenging drive. Wind whipping off the water has kept the Alligator River Bridge deck significantly colder than the surrounding land, leading to persistent icy patches.
Secondary roads and neighborhood streets in Tyrrell County have seen very little melting, leaving deep ruts of frozen slush that can easily pull a vehicle off the road. The sheriff's office said many of these backroads are effectively skating rinks, and they are asking neighbors to look out for one another and avoid any unnecessary trips until the temperatures have a chance to climb.
Further east toward the coast, Washington and Beaufort counties are dealing with a messy transition.
In Washington County, stretches of Highway 64 are seeing some asphalt in the tire tracks, but the margins remain slick and unpredictable.
Beaufort County drivers are finding that town streets in places like Washington and Belhaven are proving just as tricky as the backroads, as the moisture from Wednesday’s melt has turned into a sheet of black ice overnight. Officials say a road that looks perfectly clear can suddenly send a car spinning with no warning.
NCDOT crews have been working through the night, but they are fighting an uphill battle as temperatures hover right at that freezing mark.
Local officials are echoing the same sentiment across all four counties: if you don’t have an absolute reason to be on the road, stay put and let the pavement warm up. For those who must head out, the advice is to keep the speeds low and the headlights on, as the region waits for the afternoon thaw to finally provide some much-needed relief.
