As one storm moves out of the East, rain and mountain snow move into Southwest

A winter storm that piled on snow across parts of the South is finally heading offshore Friday with another round of freezing temperatures.

Winter storm warnings and winter weather advisories were in effect Friday morning in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, where between 4 and 6 inches of snow fell.

“Temperatures will remain below freezing for the Friday morning commute, but will climb above freezing by midday Friday,” the North Carolina Emergency Management said.

Highest temperatures throughout the day will be around 40 degrees — but warmer days will come over the weekend, the agency said.

Parts of North Carolina and Virginia saw some of the heaviest snowfall in the past day with a little more than 4 inches. Areas in Tennessee and North Georgia saw widespread totals of 1 to 3 inches, CNN meteorologist Rob Shackelford said.

On Thursday, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper activated the State Emergency Operations Center to “monitor the situation and to be ready to respond to any needs from county or local governments,” he said in a statement.

But Friday is expected to be dry as all the snow and rain begins to taper off, the National Weather Service said.

Officials in Georgia, Virginia and the Carolinas warned of potential black ice forming on wet roads overnight into Friday morning.

“Be cautious and assume spots that look wet are icy,” the Virginia Department of Transportation said. “Remember — bridges and overpasses freeze first. Slow down, increase your following distance, ditch distractions, and plan your route before hitting the road.”

As temperatures drop back down to freezing Sunday night, officials across the states warned any leftover snow and water will refreeze.

Thursday’s snowfall came after what had been an already wet week, during which around 70 cities in the Southeast had their wettest start to a year on record. More than 10 million in the Southeast and Ohio Valley remained under river flood warnings Friday morning.

In South Carolina, forecasters said Thursday rainfall peaked at 1.70 inches at the Charleston International Airport, breaking the earlier daily rainfall record of 1.62 inches set in 1945.

The Pearl River in Jackson, Mississippi, crested Monday at its third-highest level on record, 36.7 feet, covering roads and damaging homes.

The level went down somewhat, then rose again overnight Wednesday into Thursday. It is forecast to slowly recede over the weekend.

Rain in the Southwest for the weekend

But as things get easier in the East, rain and mountain snow are in the cards for the Southwest, and the conditions could become a factor for voters in Saturday’s Democratic caucuses in Nevada.

Parts of the region will see widespread showers and even a few thunderstorms, the weather service said.

“Precipitation is welcomed in parched areas of the Four Corners region but some localized totals in excess of an inch could lead to flash flooding concerns in south central Arizona,” it said.

The rain could be heavy at times on Saturday, particularly across the southern portion of Nevada, including Las Vegas. Temperatures there are expected to be around 10 degrees below average.

Between 5 and 8 inches of snow could accumulate on peaks above 6,500 feet, the weather service said, and higher elevations could see between 8 and 12 inches.