Forsyth County anxiously prepared for the dangerous snowstorm on Friday night, Jan. 23, and on Saturday morning, the area was covered in what seemed like soft snow. In fact, every white patch was ice, and it didn’t melt until later than predicted.
An ice storm warning was in effect from Saturday to Monday morning, and after a freezing Friday afternoon and sleet raining down for hours, Saturday promised epic sledding opportunities and dangerous road conditions. Non-essential government offices were closed beginning Saturday, Jan. 24 through Monday, Jan. 26. North Forsyth High School declared Monday an online learning day for all students.
Although Monday saw some sun, the large patches of ice struggled to melt, even with multiple rounds of salting the roads. Because of this, and in the consideration of staff and student safety, the following Tuesday school day was delayed by two hours, beginning at 10:25 a.m. and ending at normal time. According to the announcement, the delay was specifically for road visibility and to ensure staff had adequate preparation. Because of this, the schedule was changed accordingly, even though it left some IE² students upset, since they would leave school later than usual.
“If I had gone to school, I would’ve left [school] at a later time” laments senior Grace Cave. The delay was helpful only to some, as it was still very icy outside. “All of my family’s cars still had ice on them when it was time to leave for school. They couldn’t heat up enough for me to even go,” Cave says.
The wet and cold Monday left a refreeze to be expected, and ice still clings to the edges of the roads and driveways. While it is overall safe to drive, it’s best to be cautious outside as the weather continues.
In fact, more frigid weather is predicted for this coming Saturday, Jan. 31, according to the Weather Channel. This time, it’s predicted that it will be windy, snowy and below freezing all day.
Students are already preparing and looking forward to another inclement weather day: “I’d want more online learning days in similar weather because the roads were still icy when we came back [to school], so driving was still unsafe,” says sophomore Mollie Grieme. Whether or not the snow will affect this weekend’s activities has yet to be announced.
So keep an eye on the news, drip your faucets and keep warm; the winter is far from over.
