The winter storm charts its path toward the Triangle, potentially dumping significant snowfall totals in points north of Raleigh and Durham.
It's effects farther south that have energy crews on notice this week.
"If you do see yourself in that area where you're going to see a quarter of an inch or more of ice, that's a good opportunity to be mentally prepared that you could see power outages in those areas," said Jeff Brooks, spokesperson for Duke Energy.
Brooks said especially if you're in an area expected to see larger ice accumulations, have a game plan, keep important devices and medical equipment charged. If you do lose power, keep doors and blinds closed to try to retain heat.
Though ice accumulating on tree branches and limbs can create power risks, he said people should never try and trim those near power lines on their own, but hire a professional service.
"Unfortunately, we see instances sometimes where people try to go out and do, you know, a backyard project. And that's just not something that's worth putting your safety at risk for," Brooks said.
NCDOT already prepping roads for bad weather
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) sent dozens of trucks to treat roads. Officials said they believe Wednesday's storm will be complex for crews and the response could be tricky.
NCDOT said it was planning for the potential of downed trees with the expected freezing rain.
WATCH: NCDOT gives update on road prep
Full briefing from Doug McNeal, Division Maintenance Engineer for the NCDOT.
"Conceivably we'll be here going into the weekend and have week upon week of that. The staff gets tired but so far, we're in good shape. Our equipment's in good shape. our brine plants are operational and doing well, so we're ready," said NCDOT Divisional Maintenance Engineer Doug McNeal.
Meanwhile, residents have been swinging through home improvement stores to grab last-minute shovels, bags of snow melt, or winter protection items for the house.
"Lots of insulation products -- so window insulation, door insulation, weather stripping," said Westlake Ace Hardware General Manager Jair Simmons.
Crews are busy prepping roads ahead of expected snow, sleet and freezing rain.
Grocery stores are also seeing an uptick in foot traffic as people prepare for the possibility of staying inside during the storm.
"Should it get icy, I don't leave the house. I work from home, so it's good to have all the stuff," said Raleigh resident Samantha Stancill.
Another Raleigh resident, Lucretia Bell, added, "It's very annoying, something I really don't like dealing with it."
NCDOT plans to continue brining roads through Wednesday.
Crews will coat Interstate 40 in Durham and Wake counties with brine through Tuesday.
The NCDOT said it will use 250 of its trucks in response to Wednesday's storm, with 90 more on reserve if needed.
"With the freezing rain coming into the south, we'll be looking at potential downed trees, which complicates response. But fortunately, we're thinking the accumulations won't get to widespread power outages or downed trees. But we have to prepare a little bit for that, too," McNeal said.
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Sleet, snow, and freezing rain will pose concerns, likely affecting travel until Friday.
How does brine work?
Brine is an anti-icing technique that's used before a winter storm.
It lowers precipitation's freezing point on the road from 32 degrees Fahrenheit to around 25 degrees Fahrenheit.
The water in the brine then evaporates, leaving salt that prevents ice from bonding to the road. Salt brine sticks to the road and isn't blown off by traffic.
If applied just before a storm, brine starts working as soon as the first snowflake falls.
WATCH | People stock up ahead of winter storm across central NC
ABC11's Sean Coffey, Elaina Athans, and Tamara Scott contributed.
