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The conditions prompted the National Weather Service to issue a winter weather advisory for Alamance, Chatham, Davidson, Durham, Edgecombe, Franklin, Granville, Halifax, Johnston, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, Orange, Person, Randolph, Stanly, Vance, Wake, Warren, and Wilson counties until temperatures were above freezing around 10 a.m.
The slick roads created a traffic mess on major highways around the Triangle.
By 6 a.m., dozens of accidents, and backups were reported.
Officials had to close the Interstate 85 ramp to Hwy 70 in Durham because the overpass was declared unsafe for drivers.
Drivers along the interstate encountered major delays after a SUV slid off the road near Avondale Drive and US 70.
On Interstate 40, all westbound lanes were closed at exit 266 to 264 near NC-86 in Orange County for hours after a tractor trailer spun around and blocked the lanes.
"I started spinning and then you kind of close your eyes and hope for the best," said driver Corey Foxx, who was also involved in the accident. "When it's this early in the morning and it's this dark, there's really nothing much you can do. Hopefully [the vehicle] is still operable. I did crank it, but the major thing is I'm not hurt."
Several lanes of I-40 at exit 293 in Raleigh were also closed due to a crash.
And an accident on Interstate 540 was also to blame for the closure of three northbound lanes at exit 4 near Raleigh just before 7 a.m.
Traffic was stalled for hours as authorities worked to clear the scenes. Durham police said there were nearly 50 crashes between midnight and 8 a.m. in the Durham area alone.
Crews with the North Carolina Department of Transportation were called in to treat the roadways with a salt and sand mix.
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