North Carolinians should pay close attention to their local weather forecast, make sure they are prepared with what they need at home before Friday afternoon, and stay home if possible as ice on the roadways will likely create dangerous driving conditions.

Governor Josh Stein has declared a state of emergency for North Carolina in anticipation of severe winter weather.

A winter storm watch was upgraded on Thursday to a winter storm warning for parts of North and South Carolina as a storm approaches the region. A winter storm was expected to reach the region by as early as mid-to-late morning on Friday,