RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Winter Storm Warning is in place beginning Friday for the Triangle and really all of central North Carolina as a winter storm system that could bring significant snow heads toward central North Carolina.
Stay tuned to ABC11 Eyewitness News for the latest and check back here for real-time updates and developments on the winter storm front.
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The NCDOT continues to monitor roads and update conditions throughout the area.
Drivers should proceed with caution in all areas but the NCDOT singled out a few areas of particular concern.
Durham County, Wake County, Granville County, and Franklin County, where interstates and primary roads are covered with snow and ice.
Check back for road updates here.
With the area's first significant snowfall in years, viewers got out and snapped plenty of images of the wintry wonderlands. Here are some of the many shared with ABC11.
Check back as we add more photos. If you have one you'd like to share, send it to us here.
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."
Roads are one of the biggest concerns for North Carolina with this upcoming winter storm, according to Governor Josh Stein and emergency officials.
Crews are already out on the roads in full force. The Department of Transportation has activated over 1,900 employees and contractors involved in pre-storm preparations.
As of this morning, 3 million gallons of brine have pre-treated hundreds of roads across the state. Preparations also include:
Watch the full storm briefing with Governor Stein, emergency officials
"We are staging equipment in areas that are known trouble spots during winter storms," Joey Hopkins, NCDOT's secretary of transportation, said during a Friday storm briefing. "We are partnering with North Carolina State Highway Patrol and the North Carolina National Guard for additional resources in several hotspots where breakdowns occur regularly during these types of events. Their assistance...enables quicker clearance of disabled vehicles to help maintain safe traffic flow in these spots."
The big message is for people to get the supplies they need now. NCDOT urges people to not travel during the storm unless it's necessary.
Stein relayed tips Friday from emergency management officials, including paying attention to your local forecast and being prepared for whatever is expected in your area.
"Keep your cell phones, mobile devices and spare batteries charged in case you experience power outages," he said. "Please avoid the roads unless you absolutely must travel."
