Less than an inch, but Raleigh snow drought has ended

What to know about the snow on Friday, Jan. 10, 2025:

• Snow: Snowfall totals in Wake County ranged from 1 to 3 inches. The official measurement at Raleigh-Durham International Airport was .7 inches.
• Roads: Icy conditions are possible through Saturday morning and again Sunday morning, when temperatures will dip below freezing.
• Melting: Sunny and clear days should melt most of the slick stuff by Sunday afternoon.
• What's next? It stays chilly through the coming week, with temperatures not expected to reach 50 degrees until Friday.

Here's how the storm unfolded:

2 a.m.: The winter storm is moving out of the Triangle, but roads are beginning to form slushy ice. Residents are being warned to exercise caution, particularly with freezing ice in the area.

12 a.m.: Most residents in the area are now experiencing sleet, with the snow moving out.

11 p.m.: Two people were injured when their vehicle slid off the road and crashed into a creek on Dearborn Drive in Durham.

10:30 p.m.: Snow totals update include Falls Lake 1", Roxboro 1", RDU 0.5", Clayton 0.5", Apex 0.5", North Raleigh 0.5", Durham 0.4", Cary 0.3", NWS Office 0.3", and Morrisville 0.4".

10 p.m.: Granville County outages have decreased to 101, and Butner now has 18, according to Duke Energy.

9:30 p.m.: Snow totals so far include 0.5" at RDU, 0.8" in Roxboro, 0.5" in Apex, 0.4" in Durham, and 0.3" in Cary.

9:18 p.m.: So far, approximately 1 inch of snow has accumulated in Falls Lake and Purnell.

9 p.m.: About 655 residents in Granville County are without power.

8 p.m.: According to the Duke Energy website, more than 500 people are without power in the Butner area.

7:55 p.m.: The State Highway Patrol confirms there were a multiple vehicles involved in a crash along Interstate 87 near Wendell Falls Parkway in Knightdale. Minor injuries were reported.

Troopers have shut down I-87 near where the crash happened.

7:15 p.m.: Raleigh-Durham International Airport reported 0.4 inches of snow.

7 p.m.: Sleet and snow has started to accumulate and stick to the roads.

• 112 canceled flights at RDU
• 420-plus people without power
• NCDOT has 260 plows ready

6:30 p.m.: The WRAL fountain on Western Boulevard froze over as snow fell.

6:15 p.m.: The Triangle's snow drought is over. Raleigh saw its first measurable snow since Jan. 29, 2022.

The National Weather Service said it ended a 1,076-day drought of measurable snow in Raleigh.

The longest stretch without measurable snow in Raleigh was 1,164 days, which ended on Feb. 19, 1993. Records go back to 1887.

6 p.m.: Snow continues to fall across the region, with 1-3 inches expected to accumulate.

Students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were seen playing ultimate frisbee outside in the snow.

5:30 p.m.: Snowfall has started in the Triangle, including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary.

The live camera of the WRAL Azalea Gardens showed snow falling.

5 p.m.: Snowfall has already started in several areas, including Greensboro, Asheboro and Chapel Hill.

4 p.m.: The state Department of Transportation (NCDOT) provided an update as a wintry mix begins to fall.

“It’s certainly going to get treacherous out there,” said NCDOT divisions operations engineer Doug McNeal.

McNeal said NCDOT has 110 trucks and motor graders ready. He also said the state has contracted 150 trucks.

“Most of them are loaded and staged out across the counties, ready to roll,” McNeal said.

McNeal said the state has prepared for the last three days. He said the state has put out about 465,000 gallons of salt brines in the Highway Division 5 and more than 3 million gallons of salt brines throughout the state.

3:30 p.m.: The first snowflakes have been spotted in Raleigh and Apex, and fluffy flakes are coming down in downtown Sanford.

3 p.m.: The potential for power outages remains scattered to low in central North Carolina. Areas north of Raleigh could see a trace to 0.1 inches of ice accumulation, and areas south of Raleigh could see 0.25 inches of ice accumulation. That means power outages will be more likely in places like Fayetteville, Smithfield and Goldsboro.

2 p.m.: TheWake County Public School System and other districts are releasing students early Friday afternoon. WRAL News received a tip that the carpool line was long at Oak Grove Elementary School in Cary, which released students three hours early.

Snow is already falling in the Triad, and lights flurries were spotted on this Pinehurst camera. According to WRAL meteorologist Aimee Wilmoth, the ground is so cold that snow is sticking quickly when it falls. Conditions are expected to deteriorate for the evening commute, so it's a good idea to leave work early if possible.

The North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro is closing early, at 2 p.m. Keep up with closings and delays here.

1 p.m.: In western Moore County, a snow-sleet mix is already falling, while areas west of Charlotte are starting to see snow reaching the ground. In the North Carolina mountains, snow is covering the roads.

We will see more widespread snow in the Triangle after the evening commute.

"It's not likely that anything starts to reach the ground [here] until 6 p.m.," WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner said.

A changeover to a wintry mix will occur around midnight, and the system should be gone Saturday morning, although roads could remain dangerous for days.

Areas near the Virginia could get close to 4 inches of snow. Areas from Raleigh southward will see a trace to 1 inch. Areas in the middle, including the Triangle, could see between 1 to 3 inches of snow.

12:30 p.m.: Snow hasn't started in the Triangle yet, but Raleigh-Durham International Airport is feeling the effects.

There were 65 cancelations and 25 delays at RDU as of 12:30 p.m., but many more at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which had 696 cancelations. RDU officials told WRAL News extra crews have been called in to work 12-hour shifts, cleaning runways and taxiways with plows and laying salt.

11:30 a.m.: Gov. Josh Stein joined North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) and state transportation officials for a news conference about winter weather preparations.

State leaders are urging everyone to stay off the roads "unless it is absolutely necessary" once the system begins Friday evening.

"Road safety is the biggest concern ... especially with the thawing and refreezing of precipitation," Stein said.