The National Weather Service upgraded their alert status for the ongoing storm to a Blizzard Warning in their 3:40 p.m. bulletin on Thursday. The existing Winter Storm Warning was cancelled. Snow accumulation of 6 to 10 inches, winds gusting to 40 mph, and wind chills at 30 degrees below zero can expected during the overnight hours, according the NWS.
Lincoln County peninsulas and coastal areas will see the worst of this storm, especially in terms of high winds and low visibility from blowing snow, according to forecasters.
The NWS issued several other notifications in regard to this event.
A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect until 1 p.m. on Friday.
A Coastal Flood Warning prompted by astronomical high tides and surge from the storm is in effect from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, with the high tide in Newcastle at 12:19 p.m. and a height of 11 feet 9 inches.
The NWS recommends that motorists stay off the road during this event, and that if they must travel, they do so with drinking water, flashlights with additional batteries, extra warm clothing and a well charged cell phone. Any traffic incident, even a simple slide off, could become tragic as low visibility will make it hard for first responders to locate the accident and low temps will affect survivability for any victims.
