The wintry precipitation leftover from Monday's storm prompted several schools to delay classes or close Tuesday.
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The icy conditions quickly turned hazardous around the area Tuesday morning.
An accident closed both directions of US-70/Glenwood Avenue at Brier Creek in Raleigh just after 8 a.m., which caused major backups on Interstate 540 at exit 4A to Glenwood Ave.
Before that, part of US-64 in Knightdale was shutdown for more than an hour after a tractor trailer jackknifed at exit 428 near Wendell Blvd. Lots of slick spots were reported in the area during that time.
Several reports of vehicles sliding off roadways due to icy patches were seen all around the ABC11 viewing area during the morning commute.
North Carolina Highway Patrol 1st Sgt. Jeff Gordon told ABC11 that as of 7 a.m., officials had already responded to at least 30 accidents.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation urged people to delay their travel Tuesday morning, if possible, to give crews some extra time to treat the roads. Crews had been working since Monday to clear primary roadways.
DOT Communications Director Mike Charbonneau told ABC11 that the big focus was on the morning commute, since paved surfaces were icy, especially untreated surfaces.
Crews were unable to treat roadways ahead of the wintry precipitation, because it rained earlier in the day Monday. Crews were still spot checking bridges and overpasses, and sprinkling salt and sand to battle any black ice Tuesday afternoon.
Officials say black ice is when the road looks wet, because the black pavement is glossy and drivers can't tell it is actually frozen.
Roads began to improve later Tuesday afternoon as some sunshine gave way to cloudy skies.
ABC11 Meteorologist Don "Big Weather" Schwenneker says cloud cover will remain in place overnight which will help to prevent temperatures from getting as cold as last night.
He says a warming trend will take place on Wednesday with clouds giving way to some sunshine and afternoon temperatures recovering into the lower 50s.
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