HAMLET — Students will get to go home early again on Thursday.
Richmond County Schools announced around 5:40 p.m. on its Facebook page that students will be dismissed two hours early on Thursday in “anticipation of inclement weather conditions.”
“As always, the safety of our students and staff is our top priority,” the post concluded.
Forecasters are expecting snow to fall across North Carolina Thursday afternoon.
According to an afternoon briefing from the National Weather Service in Raleigh, a wintry mix is expected to begin sometime between 2 and 6 p.m., with light snow falling later.
The NWS predicts accumulation of less than a half-inch but forecast maps show Richmond County could receive as much as 1 inch in the southern region and up to 2 inches from Rockingham north.
The snowfall is expected to be moderate – heavy at times – resulting in hazardous driving conditions across the Piedmont, except for along the South Carolina border, where the changeover from rain to snow will be late.
The heaviest snowfall is expected along and north of U.S. 64
Overnight lows are expected to dip below freezing (around 29 degrees) before warming up to around 40 degrees on Friday. However, forecasters say it could be cooler where snow accumulates.
Temps are predicted to drop below freezing again by 8 p.m. Friday evening.
