Triangle residents stock up as winter storm heads towards Central NC

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- With snow in the forecast, ABC11 spoke with Wake County resident Jennifer Dzielak, who lived in New Hampshire and knows about winter weather.

"Black ice is a kicker, so I hope everyone drives safely," Dzielak said.

Dzielak said she's ready for the storm, and so is the staff at Burke Brothers Hardware.

"Oh, the last time we had a major snowfall, we sold about 1,200 sleds and about two and a half truckloads of ice melt," said Burke Brothers Hardware owner Jeff Hastings.

Hastings said this time around shovels and sleds are flying off shelves. When it comes to car care items, hand warmers, ice scrapers with nylon brushes, and de-icer spray are must-haves.

ALSO SEE: Snow, sleet, freezing rain in the forecast as winter storm heads to central NC

"If you're driving and you've got...a lot of ice on your windshield, it's a safe item to put on your windshield to get you going in the morning and not have to sit there and wait an extra 15 or 20 minutes," said Hastings.

In the sandhills, Lowe's Hardware store manager Nate Potter shared tips for people in Fayetteville.

"We want to make sure that we're available before, during, and after for people to take care of their homes and the people they care about," said Potter.

When it comes to your home, Potter said the biggest concern during winter weather is pipes. Items like protectors should be placed over any exposed spigots or sprinkler systems.

"We want to avoid busted pipes. We want to avoid the damage that can cause even an eighth-inch crack in a pipe. It can burst out up to 250 gallons of water in just a day. So definitely make sure that any exposed or unheated areas of pipe are wrapped. We do want to also make sure that if the weather is going to drop below freezing, we turn our water on to a slow drip," said Potter.