Bladen braces for snow, schools go remote Monday

The bread, milk and eggs — a tradition like none other ahead of life-altering weather events — have been bought and alerts have been issued by Friday morning.

Now, folks in Bladen County await the snow that, according to the National Weather Service, could be as much as 8 inches. Maybe more.

While making light of rushing out to buy storm-related consummables, this weekend’s expected storm, officials say, is an event to take seriously.

Bladen County Emergency Services is urging Bladen County residents to be prepared for what is expected to be a snowy, windy and dangerously cold weekend.

“This winter storm will bring increased snow chances that will make traveling extremely hazardous, if not possible,” Bladen County Emergency Management director Joey Coleman said in a news release. “The extreme cold temperatures will bring the threat of dangerously cold wind chills as low as zero, which could result in hypothermia or frostbite if precautions are not taken.”

Bladen County Schools announced Friday afternoon that it will transition to remote learning for Monday because of the forecasted weather conditions. BCS plans to make a decision about in-classroom learning for Tuesday no later than 6 p.m. Monday.

Bladen Community College announced that it will be closed Saturday and Sunday.

Bladen County Solid Waste facilities will be closed Saturday and, tentatively, will resume operations Monday.

Saturday’s scheduled Lil Knights games at West Bladen High School have been postponed until Saturday, Feb. 7 beginning at 8:30 a.m.

Bladen County residents should make necessary preparations prior to the winter storm such as obtaining an alternate heat source in the event of power interruption, having medications on hand for several days, having an alternate power source for required medical equipment and having adequate food and water on hand, according to Emergency Services.

People are reminded to never use grills indoors or in garages, make sure generators are away from the building and properly ventilated and never place heaters near flammable objects.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning early Friday morning in effect from 1 a.m. Saturday until 4 p.m. Sunday for Bladen County and surrounding areas. Total snow accumulations between 5 and 8 inches with locally higher amounts are possible for portions of southeast North Carolina and northeast South Carolina.

There’s also a Gale Watch and Extreme Cold Watch for Bladen County.

Dangerous cold is expected to seep in Friday night, according to the forecast, with single digit wind chills Saturday night and Sunday night. Dry and powdery snow combined with strong and frequent wind gusts of 25 to 35 mph will result in particularly dangerous driving conditions.