Another band of freezing rain is expected this afternoon and into the evening, with a quarter to half inch of accumulation expected. The ice could bring down power lines and trees. Drivers and pedestrians should avoid overnight travel unless necessary.

Hazardous conditions are expected into the week as overnight temperatures are expected to stay below freezing throughout the week. Check updates from the National Weather Service’s Raleigh forecast office.

See information below from the Town of Hillsborough and check the Emergency Updates page for the current status of town operations and services. See the Cold Weather Resources page for safety tips, including how to stay warm if your power goes out.

Town Services

Board Meeting — The Hillsborough Board of Commissioners work session that was scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26, has been canceled.

Parks and Trails — These will remain closed until conditions are safe to reopen them after the storm.

Roads — Police continue to advise staying off roads. Hillsborough public works crews completed one round of plowing of all town-maintained roads today, Jan. 25. They started at about 10 a.m., following an attempt overnight that was ineffective. Today’s goals were to scrape as much ice off to allow indirect heat from the sun to penetrate the remaining icy layer and to reduce the amount of ice before more accumulates. Asphalt can be seen on most roads, but the roads are refreezing. Public works crews will resume operations Monday morning. Two of the town’s three salt spreaders are in need of repair following use in this event. See the Snow and Ice Removal Map.

Solid Waste — Garbage collection for Monday routes will be delayed. Monday and Tuesday routes are expected to be collected on Tuesday.

Town Offices — Town offices will be closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 26-27, due to the hazardous road conditions. Utilities crews cleared parking lots around town facilities.

Traveling

Hillsborough police advise the community to: 

• Dress in layers and limit prolonged exposure to cold temperatures. 
• Avoid unnecessary trips and allow extra time if you must travel. 
• Assess conditions before heading out and use extra caution on hills and when approaching intersections. Conditions may change rapidly, especially on bridges and overpasses, in shaded areas, and during overnight and early morning hours when refreezing is most likely. 
• Be aware of pedestrians and drivers. 
• Carry a mobile phone in case of an emergency. 

Emergency Shelters 

Orange County coordinates the opening of emergency shelters. It is sheltering people and pets at Smith Middle School, 9201 Seawell School Road in Chapel Hill. Pets are housed in a separate area of the shelter. A backup shelter in Northern Orange County will open if the current one reaches capacity. For transportation or to ask questions about the shelter, call 919-245-6111. The county is staffing the phone line around the clock. Information on emergency shelters is available on its Ready Orange page.