The North Carolina Department of Transportation gave an update Friday afternoon on its preparations and strategies for managing roadways before, during and after the winter storm.

Doug McNeal, division maintenance engineer for NCDOT’s Division 5, said NCDOT has been preparing for this during the past three days.

Division 5 covers Durham and Wake counties as well as surrounding counties up to the Virginia line.

“We’ve had about 65 salt-brine applicators out in the division. We’ve put out roughly 465,000 gallons in our division,” McNeal said.

Statewide, more than 3 million gallons have been put down.

“We’re expecting impacts across pretty much all of North Carolina. Right now, we’re transitioning to our response time,” McNeal said. “We’re starting to see a little bit of snow in the air … but it’s certainly going to get treacherous out there.”

He said 110 DOT trucks and motor graders are ready to go and an additional 150 contract trucks are loaded and staged.

“As it starts to roll in, we generally wait until you can see tracks in the road before we start taking in, applying salt,” McNeal said. “If you apply before then, it just bounces off the roads, so you need a little bit of material there to capture it but once we give it a little bit of time to activate, and we’re plowing from there.”

He said another concern with this storm is the potential for freezing rain.

“We’re seeing forecasts potentially up to a quarter-inch of ice in the area,” McNeal said.

They’ve also staged what McNeal called cut-and-shove crews.

“We’ll take and try to cut it back to the edge of the pavement and then push off everything else so that the lanes are open and then we come back after things warm up in a couple of days and clear it up from there,” he explained.

McNeal said Saturday would be a good day for people to sleep in and “enjoy that cup of coffee before you go out.”

(WGHP) — Governor Josh Stein declared a statewide state of emergency on Thursday evening ahead of a winter storm expected to sweep through the Piedmont Triad on Friday.

He is urging people across North Carolina to prepare for cold temperatures, snow and ice. 

“This storm will likely bring significant impacts from snow, sleet and freezing rain in different parts of the state,” Stein said. “North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast, make sure they are prepared with what they need at home before Friday afternoon and stay home if possible as ice on the roadways will likely create dangerous driving conditions.” 

On Wednesday, Stein activated state resources to set into motion a cross-agency storm response and enable the potential of federal reimbursement if the event qualifies.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has begun brining roads. They will work around the clock in 12-hour shifts to plow and treat snow and ice until all state-maintained roads are cleared.  

“State emergency officials are monitoring the situation and are prepared to assist the counties and municipalities if needed,” NC Emergency Management Director Will Ray said. “Residents across the state should be prepared to shelter in place. If the power goes out, be sure to operate generators outside and away from open windows or doors to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.” 

The 24th-ranked Cal women’s basketball team defeated a ranked opponent for the second time this season on Thursday night when the Bears knocked off No. 21 North Carolina State 78-71 at Haas Pavilion.

“I think this was one of the biggest wins for Cal women’s basketball in some time,” Cal coach Charmin Smith.

The Bears defeated then-No. 19 Alabama back on December 5 at Haas Pavilion, and on Thurday Cal beat a team that reached the Final Four last season.

Marta Suarez scored 17 points for Cal (15-2, 3-1 ACC.), and 14 of those points came in the first half when Cal took control late in the second quarter. Ioanna Krimili, Michelle Onyiah and Kayla Williams added 15 points apeice to help the Bears end the Wolfpack’s seven-game winning streak while keeping Cal unbeaten at home (11-0).

Krimili was just 6-for-18 from the the field, including 3-for-12 on three-pointers, but she hit one of the biggest shots of the game when she nailed a three-point shot with 4:57 left, 21 seconds after the Wolfpack had scored six straight points to close Cal’s nine-point lead to three points.

“She made it when we needed it, and we have a habit of doing that,” Smth said.

North Carolina State (11-4, 3-1 ACC) never got closer than four points the rest of the way and suffered its first conference loss despite 21 points from Aziaha James and 19 from Tilda Trygger.

Cal took the lead for good with 1:01 left in the third quarter, then held off every North Carolina State surge after that.

An important reason for Cal’s consistency throughout the game was the play of point guard Kayla Williams, who played all 40 minutes, shot 7-for-13 from the field and added six assists with just two turnovers while doing all the ball-handling chores and driving the lane to create opportunities for herself or others.

“I thought Williams killed us off the bounce,” North Carolina State coach Wes Moore said.

Williams may be the key to Cal’s success this season, because her strong play has come as a surprise to casual observers. She did not start any games for USC last season when she averaged 10.8 minutes, 2.6 points and 0.6 assists per game. After transferring to Cal, Williams has started every game for the Bears this season while averaging 33 minutes, 12.2 points and 4.6 assists to go along with 44.5% three-point shooting.

Thursday was the first time two top-25 women’s teams played a game at Haas Pavilion since Dec. 22, 2018, when 14th-ranked Cal lost to No. 1 UConn.

Cal led by eight points entering the fourth quarter, and the Wolfpack got as close as three points, but the Bears maintained the lead throughout. Cal had scored the final eight points of the third quarter to break away from a 52-52 tie to grab that 60-52 advantage after three quarters.

Cal held a 39-33 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to a one-minute shooting spree by Suarez.  She hit three-pointers on three consecutive Cal possessions over a span of 56 seconds to cap a 16-0 Bears run that took Cal from a 22-14 deficit to a 30-22 lead with 5:22 left in the first half.

Suarez’s one-minute shooting spree seemed to change the complexion of the game. Cal never trailed after that.

“I was feeling it,” Suarez said.

Suarez was 4-for-4 from long range in the first half and had 14 points and 10 rebounds at intermission. The rest of the Cal team was just 3-for-12 on three-pointers, and Krimili was 1-for-7 from beyond the arc at halftime.  Her one made three-pointer came from well behind the line with the shot clock running down.

Cal shot 44.4% from the field in the first half, while the Wolfpack made just 35.3% of its shots. Cal attempted just one free throw in the first half, and missed it.

NOTES: The top two scorers from North Carolina State’s Final Four team of last season are starters on this season’s Wolfpack squad – Aziaha James and Saniya Rivers.

Heading into Thursday’s action, Cal was averaging 10.1 made three-pointers per game, sixth-most in the country, and were making 37.8% of its three-point shots, which is 12th-best in the nation.

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