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Snow hits area; area schools close

By James Bennett | Independent Tribune and Jessica Groover | Independent Tribune

Published: March 1, 2009

Updated: 03/01/2009 08:22 pm

CONCORD - Steady rain turned to snow Sunday night in Cabarrus County as a rare March winter storm roared into the region, prompting county offices and schools to close on Monday.

The National Weather Service said 4 to 8 inches of snow were possible and issued a winter storm warning.

Concord City Manager Brian Hiatt said 11 city trucks were called in between 6 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. today to clear streets, with another crew taking over this morning.

"We will hit major streets first," Hiatt said. "A lot of times, people are worried about getting out of their neighborhoods to work. We suggest staying at home early in the morning. We have a system on clearing the streets and try to be fair. We have to get the heavily traveled streets first."

Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg said heavy winds and soggy ground conditions could result in downed trees. He said four city trucks will treat streets with salt and sand, and five were equipped with snow plows.

A flood warning was issued for Cabarrus County at 4 p.m. Sunday and was scheduled to expire at 10 p.m. Flooding closed parts of Stough Road, between Concord and Harrisburg, on Sunday night.

Traffic on Interstate 85 through Cabarrus County slowed to a crawl Sunday evening, with drivers slowing to avoid slippery spots on the freeway.

"We do expect the road conditions to deteriorate, especially after midnight," National Weather Service meteorologist Brandon Vincent said. "There could be treacherous road conditions by Monday morning."

Six inches of snow were forecast for an area extending from Charlotte to Greensboro to Asheboro,
Meteorologist Jan Jackson said.

"Greensboro looks like it will take the brunt, where it's coldest enough to be mostly snow," Jackson said Sunday. "We're thinking it's going to be a good eight to maybe 10 inches. A foot's not out of the question. As you head east of Reidsville, we've got 10 inches up in there."

The storm brought snow and hazardous conditions to Georgia earlier Sunday. More than 20,000 customers lost power in the state. Atlanta had 2 to 3 inches throughout the metro area.

As of 8 p.m., heavy snow had already accumulated on local roads, such as Concord Mills Boulevard, Poplar Tent Road and George Liles Parkway.

Snow also forced schools to close. Both of Cabarrus County's school systems, as well as Cannon School, Carolina International School and First Assembly Christian School, canceled Monday classes. Rowan-Salisbury Schools also canceled Monday classes.

Cabarrus County Schools Public Relations Director Ronnye Boone said transportation personnel ordinarily evaluate road conditions between 3 a.m. and 5 a.m., but today's cancelation came several hours earlier.

The City of Concord operates utilities for water and electricity. The city manager said he did not expect problems with water pipes freezing, but he said accumulation of snow on trees could cause outages.

"Electrical wires and trees do not mix," Hiatt said. "We have electrical crews on call."

The last measurable March snowfall in Cabarrus County was in 1999.