CLOSINGS FOR FRIDAY, JAN. 25:

Nash Rocky Mount Schools will close two hours early. Edgecombe County Schools will close 3.5 hours early. Rocky Mount Academy is closing at noon. Faith Christian School is closing at 11:30 a.m. Nash Community College will close at 2 p.m. NCC will open at 10 a.m. Saturday for classes.Road crews spent the majority of Thursday preparing for a batch of winter storms expected to drop snow, sleet and freezing rain on the Twin Counties today.

“The precipitation should start in the late morning or early afternoon with a snow and sleet mixture,” said Katie Roussy, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Raleigh. “As the day goes on, it’ll become more of a freezing rain or freezing drizzle type of precipitation that will continue through the evening hours until just before midnight.”

N.C. Department of Transportation crews pretreated interstates, highways and other major routes in Eastern North Carolina with a salt-water mixture called brine. Rocky Mount Streets Maintenance Superintendent Ed White said all of the city’s trucks were treating major thoroughfares, feeder streets and bridges Thursday with between 8,000 and 10,000 gallons of brine.

“The brine acts as a barrier to keep the ice from bonding to the road surface,” White said. “The theory is that if we can keep it from bonding, it’ll be easier to push off the roadway.”

Roussy said accumulation is not anticipated, but low temperatures could produce black ice.

“Driving on snow is a whole lot different than driving on ice,” N.C. Highway Patrol First Sgt. M.S. Jones said. “No one drives well on ice.”

Jones said residents should avoiding driving. If driving is necessary, reducing speeds and increasing following distances is recommended.

“The number one thing is do not drive your vehicle if the windows and windshield are iced up,” he said. “We see drivers chisel one small spot to see out their windshield, but you cannot be a defensive driver if the windows are not clear.”

Keeping an emergency kit with a blanket, food and water along with a charged cellphone is advised for drivers taking to the roads in a winter storm. To report problems on the highway or aggressive drivers, dial *HP on a cellphone.

Roussy said forecasts indicate overnight temperatures throughout the weekend will be in the 20s with highs in the 30s and low 40s during the day.

“It might warm up early next week, but for now it is going to be cold,” she said.