ROCKINGHAM — For the second time in less than a week, Richmond County will be under a winter storm watch — this time with a chance of seeing snow.
The National Weather Service issued the watch just after 4 a.m. Wednesday which will go into effect at 7 p.m. Thursday and is set to expire at 7 a.m. Saturday.
Chances of winter weather have increased from 30-70% in the past 48 hours.
Forecasters are calling for a 70% chance of rain Thursday evening, which is expected to transition to a wintry mix of sleet and freezing rain early Friday, with snowfall predicted in the afternoon hours. That is forecast to change back over into freezing rain late Friday night and early Saturday morning.
According to predictions released Wednesday afternoon, the National Weather Service is expecting up to 2-3 inches of snow and up to a quarter-inch of ice in Richmond County on Friday.
Areas along the Interstate 95 corridor from Benson to Roanoke Rapids could see up to 6 inches of snow.
The high temperature on Friday is only expected to hit 28 degrees — with wind chill values around 16 — and overnight lows are forecast to dip below 20.
A winter storm this past weekend was mostly ice for this area, though there were some reports of faint flurries, and more than 4,000 people in the county were left without power — some for eight to 10 hours or more.
Power outages and hazardous travel are also potential effects from the upcoming storm.
