HAMLET — Richmond County Schools will be closed on Friday with the National Weather Service issuing a winter weather advisory for central North Carolina.
School officials said in an email early Thursday afternoon that all school buildings would be closed for students and staff on Friday and all athletic events and after-school events have been canceled.
Friday will be a non-instructional day for students and an optional remote workday for staff, according to the email.
Students at Richmond Early College High School who take classes at Richmond Community College will be notified about their schedule later in the day, the email reads.
Formerly a winter storm watch, the winter weather advisory goes into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday and will remain in effect until 7 a.m. Saturday.
With rain falling throughout the day and night and the overnight low dropping to around 28 degrees, meteorologists are concerned about the possibility of black ice early Friday morning.
According to the NWS forecast, sleet will be likely before 3 p.m. on Friday before turning into a mix of snow and sleet from 3-4 p.m. then transitioning to snow.
The heaviest snow, 1-2 inches, is expected to fall east of U.S. 1, according to the NWS. Areas west of the highway are predicted to receive less than an inch. Up to 1/10 of an inch of ice is also expected.
The high temperature is expected to remain just below freezing on Friday, with wind chills dipping below 20 degrees. Wind speeds will be around 11 mph, with gusts up to 21 mph.
Rockingham City Manager Monty Crump previously said that City Hall would be closed on Friday and a decision on sanitation would be made Friday morning.
