3 and dont forget to wake up coverage begins at 4 am tomorrow morning. Meteorologist nicole papay will have the latest look at your forecast. And traffic reporter chris scott will have what you need to know on Road Conditions. Again thats from 4 until 9 tomorrow morning. 3 back to you. 3 we have plenty of School Closings for tomorrow. Starting in the upstate greenville countypickens countyoconee county Spartanburg County all districts Cherokee County union countyanderson county dist. 1. Anderson districts two through five will decide tomorrow. Tomorrow. And in the mountains buncombe countyasheville city Transylvania County haywood countyhenderson countypolk countyrutherford county countyalong with. Madison countymitchell countyyancey county jackson countymacon countyswain county 3 schools in hart and Franklin County georgia will also be closed, along with many colleges in our area. Area. And Spartanburg County government offices will be closed tomorrowkeep checking the ticker at the bottom of your screen, more updates are coming in by the minute. 3 and we have Team Coverage on this system moving in 3 heres a live look in asheville along i26western North Carolina will see the impact of this storm first. And its all hands on deck for road crews there. And dot was already out in numbers today getting prepared. 3 heres an example of what they are doinga a steady stream of dump trucks has been hauling salt to the main hub here from the nearby salt domeand a bulldozer has been taking sand off of this massive pile and thats been going on for hours its just part of the preparations here accoring to engineer justin ricerice says his crews are ready for whatever fallsa but says ice presents a bigger challenger there will be plenty of manpower and equipment ready to hit the streets when the wintery weather beginshe also says he and others in the North Carolina dot are monitoring the weather very closely so there is no chance theyll be caught by surprise 3 and now theres just the wait for the wintry weather to arrive in western North Carolina carolinaauthorities in asheville say they have everything in place just in case the worst hits. Hits. Fox carolinas Derek Dellinger is live in asheville with morederek . 3 3 3 we did some traveling tonight around the asheville areafor many, it was just business as usualthough you did see quite a lot of traffic for homeand also people trying to get to and also people people wanting see quite a lot of usualfor many, it was the asheville traveling 3 3 we did some traveling tonight around the asheville areafor many, it was just business as usualthough you did see people wanting to get back homeand also people trying to get to the grocery stores. And as you mentionedit is right now a big wait and see for emergency officials. Authorities say they are in a state of emergency right now bad it gets. While thats happening, theyre asking 3 3 3 3 we do have chains for our slower pace, but we still need thats a large part of the reason we ask people to stay off the roads. Do not create an additional emergency, do not block the roads so we can get to people that need us. 3 and whatever police and fire activity weve seen tonight has largely been for regular calls. Emergency Officials Say they have staffed up as a precautionjust in case it does get badkeeping us up to date on how things are here in the area. 3 3 3 3 3 and is there enough warning thats gone out . I know in cases like these, people want to feel like they had enough advance notice so theyre not surprised. Surprised. Fire Officials Say yes, between whats gone out on social media and also on tv and radiothey say there are still some people that dont know, and theyre trying 3 and back here in the upstate this is a look in powdersville were expecting to see rain turn to snow and sleet slowly overnight. And again road crews and Emergency Management have been preparing all day 3 we talked with scdot tonight about how Roads Conditions are in greenville and spartanburg and they say they will pre treat them until the Winter Weather arrives. 3 Fox CarolinasRebecca Atkins is live for us at the dot Maintenance Facility in spartanburg and you also spoke with spartanburg Emergency Management as well right . Here are actively preparing their trucks and waiting for that Winter Weather to arrive, and as far as Emergency Management they say theyre fully prepared. 3 scdot says they will continue to pretreat the roads until the precipitation starts to accumulate. The trucks have been spraying a salt brine solution, to prevent the snow and ice from bonding to the roads. Although the weather is slated to start as rain wants to be ready for snow. With the potential for bad roads and Power Outages, spartanburg Emergency Management is on high alert. They say ice takes different preparation then snow. The director says they had a Conference Call with the state Emergency Management division as well as the National Weather service to get everyone up to date. 3 3 3 ice obviously presents a whole other level of issues for us, on roadways, on trees, lines we tend to get and see more of Power Outages and trees down when we have ice as opposed to snow. Snow. 3 were obviously not plowing of doing anything of that nature but were getting all of our equipment ready, were pretreating all of our intestates and primary routes and well continue to pretreat and till the Winter Weather gets here. Here. 3 he says to please leave your home earlier then usual to allow time to travel on the roads and to give the trucks space to treat the roads. 3 both Emergency Management as well as scdot say that if you dont have to be on the roads just dont drive on them, they say its best to stay home as much as you can until the roads are clear. Cody . 3 and with the potential for ice it could cause some power issues across our area. Tonight electric companies and the red cross are urging people to have a winter storm plan in case you do lose power power they say to keep extra warm clothingcoats, gloves, hats, boots. And extra baby items. They also recommend putting together a disaster kit containing first aid supplies and medications, a batterypowered 3 radio, flashlights, and extra batteries. The red cross also says to have canned and other nonperishable food and plenty of bottled water stocked up. Be sure to charge cell phones ahead of time and store dry firewood. If you have a portable generator. The red cross warns to keep it outside and a safe distance from the house. 3 and here at the spartanburg fairgrounds. We found duke Energy Trucks staging their trucks and crews. Ahead of the winter storm. Theyre in position. Ready to deal with outages across our area. 3 and hereshow to report a power outage in your area screennow you can also head to foxcarolina. Com. 3 there youll find a link on the homepage with a list of Contact Numbers to reach out to if you lose power during the storm. 3 now many emergency officials are urging drivers to stay off the roadsbut if you do have to venture out tomorrow youre car could already be covered in ice or snow. Snow. And joining us now is meteorologist ted phaeton just outside our studiowith tips on how to take care of your car. Ted . 3 cody and diana earlier today we headed over to walmart and advanced auto partsto see what items drivers should have on hand to keep your car and yourself safe in this weather. Flashlight and water in your 3 car just in case you get stuck. Experts also suggest a candle if you need to keep warm. And before driving youll want to get an ice scraper for your car. So you can clean off your windshield wiper fluid can also prevent and get rid of ice on your windshieldand Something Else thats handyis for your keylock. This will actually get rid of the ice stuck in your lock so you can manually open the door. 3 again if you do have to hit the roads tomorrow make sure you have some of these items. And be sure to check Road Conditions before leaving the house. Remember for updates. Just fox carolina weather appyou can do that by heading to our website fox carolina dot com. Com. Cody and diana back to you. 3 right now. Road crews are preparing for the worst 3 and officials want you to know there is help out there if you do run into some problems 3 plusas the panthers prepare for the nfc championship in charlotte this weekendthe Winter Weather is causing some serious concerns. See how its affecting the game next. 3 were back tracking the winter storm 3 youre taking a live look now in powdersvillewhere you can see and by tomorrow morning many of you will be waking up to some wet weather. And possibly snow 3 if you just have to get out on the roads be careful. And know there is help for you out there if you run into trouble. Trouble. Fox carolinas Sharon Johnson is live tonight with how you can help yourself is stranded on the road in the storm. Sharon 3 being stranded on the roadways is dangerous. Add a wintry snow deadly. But car towing businesses will be out there to help. And advice to help yourself too. Like this emergency kit. 3 if you run into trouble on the roads during this winter storm you may need a tow service. But you also need an emergency kit of your own. Because driving on roads during snow or ice, could get you stranded. And with that expect lond delays if the weather is bad. Thats where the emergency kits come in. Even though Tow Truck Companies like hawkins towing are using all their man power, john hawkins says sometimes they just cant keep up with all the calls. 3 3 3 3 always keep a cell phone on you. Some road flares to throw out especially in the snow. You can throw those out and they can burn. 3 john hawkins says towing sure drivers are not stranded any longer than they have to be. You may want to have some blankets and flashlights as well. 3 shep services are also usually available during the daytime for assistance. Those services are free but fewer drivers compared to all the tow services. Again the emergency kit will come in handy whether you need it or not. 3 and if you do find yourself stuck in your car. Out in the elements. Or just stuck without heat. Experts want you to know the signs of hypothermia. Hypothermia. We caught up with experts at ghs who say the best thing you can do to prevent hypothermia is to wear lots of layers when outdoors. Some of the symptoms to look rate. Slurred speech. Slow movements. Confusion. And shivers. Officials say if you do find yourself stuck in your cardont leave your vehicle and call for help. Now ghs also says make sure before you go to bed your thermostat is set at a decent temperature and you have plenty of blanketsthey say your body slows down at night and you might not realize your temperature dropping while youre asleep. 3 and if you need a warm place to stay during this storm. You can head to a number of shelters across the upstate and western North Carolina. Were weblive on our website fox carolina dot com. Where you can find a full list of locations and hours. 3 chief meteorologist kendra kent joins us now with a look 3 the winter storms arrives tonight for our area, and we will feel the effects through saturday. Snow, ice, sleet and rain will be possible throughout the event, and heres how the timeline goes. Rain will move in through thursday evening, then turn to a wintry mix in the mountains by midnight. Expect sleet and rain, turning to freezing rain and snow through the overnight in western North Carolina. The upstate will see rain turn to freezing rain and sleet slowly through the overnight, mainly from greenville to the northeast toward spartanburg and gaffney. Areas in northern greenville, cherokee and spartanburg counties could see accumulating ice and sleet by early friday morning. Friday south of i85, while a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and rain will fall along i85 and north. Snow will develop along the east facing slopes of the mountains, from asheville eastward. We could see over a quarter inch of ice in the northern part of the upstate and nc piedmont. This could cause Power Outages and treacherous roads. Snow will take over for the entire area by late friday night, bringing some modest accumulations to the upstate 13 inches on average , while the mountains could see over a foot near mt. Mitchell. Asheville could see 68 inches. Snow will wrap up through saturday morning, leaving icy roads until temps can warm up during the afternoon. Because of all this, a winter storm warning is out for the northern upstate counties and mountains 3 and the Winter Weather is also causing some concerns for this weekends matchup in the queen city. As the panthers get ready to face off for the nfc championship championshiptoday the city announced the panthers pride rally. Set for tomorrow at noon. Is canceled as they anticipate bad weather moving in overnight. Officials say the publics safety is their biggest concern. But the game is still set for this sunday. Pregame coverage begins at 6 pm. Kickoff is at 6 40you can catch it all right here on fox carolina. 3 coming up head coach ron rivera weighs in as the panthers get set for sundays nfc showdown. Including his thoughts on how the weather could impact the game. Game. And itll be a homecoming of sorts for some of the Arizona Cardinals players. Well hear from some of your Favorite Local stars coming up in sports. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 well the panthers just one win away from going to the superbowl. While im sure fans already setting their sights on that lombardi trophy. Head coach ron riveras sights are soley on sunday. Hes keeping a balanced approach. Relaxed but focused. Focused. Which really. Has been his attitude all season. And so you cant argue with that 161 record. You also cant argue with a coach just named the 2015 coach of the year by the pro football writers of america. Rivera given the honor for the second time in his career. And not too much of a panthers became just the seventh team in super bowl era to go 15 and 1 or better in the regular season. And now theyre just one win away from the super bowl. But carolina wont just have to battle the cardinals in the nfc championship. They could be challenged by inclimate weather. But rivera is getting the panthers ready for anything. 3 3 the nice thing about the weather pattern is for these last 2 days has been really good. It was cold a little chilly a little rainy yesterday today obviously it dried out a little bit. Had some sunshine and hte opportunity to get some really good work in. I really liked the tempo i thought the guys did a nice job. I thought their focus was outstanding. They had a lot of energy. Theres still some things we need to get corrected certainly but the nice thing is well see it on tape and these guys are going to be watching it pretty soon. Soon. One of those guys well be watching closely. Panthers defensive end jared allen who practiced today despite a broken right foot. His status still uncertain. 3 while the panthers have homefield advantage in this one. Itll be familiar territory for several of the cardinals players. Wide chris clemons, kicker Chandler Catanzaro and runningback Andre Ellington all products of clemson university. And safety dj swearinger representing for the gamecocks. All in all, ten different cardinals played their college ball in the carolinas. None of them admitting to ever being Carolina Panthers fans. 3 3 3 i was never a fan of the panthers. Im still not a fan of the panthers. Im all about the Arizona Cardinals and thats what its about. About. I was actually more of a falcons fan. Um i have a lot of family in atlanta. But charlottes obviously even closer to greenville than falcons fan for whatever reason. So itll be a fun atmosphere, im excited. Excited. You can catch all those former tigers and gamecocks. As continuing coverage as the ready to battle arizona for the nfc championship. Thaat 6 40 sunday fox carolina. 3 and in Womens College basketball just two teams remain undefeated in the country. Uconn and south carolina. The gamecocks looking for win number 18. 18. At auburn for the first of two road games this week. Down by 5 in the 2nd down the three. Shed rack up 12 points on the night. A few minutes later its tied up and toy feeling it from beyond the arc. Hits another corner three then later in the 2nd roy feeds it to Alaina Coates who lays it in. Coates finishes with 17 points and 10 boards her 6th straight game with rebound in the double digits. 3 3 the gamecocks win their 35th straight game dating back to the 20132014 season. 3 3 and the final score of the spartans contest against north florida. Usc upstate drops this one 7862. Theyre record now 7 and 13 on the year. Theyll look to turn things around saturday against 3 marco rubio. He ran for senate saying he opposed amnesty. Then he flipped, and worked with liberal Chuck Schumer to coauthor the path to citizenship bill. He threatened to vote against it. And then voted for it. He supported his own dream act and then he abandoned it. Marco rubio. Jeb bush. Hes a leader, so you always know where he stands. Right to rise usa is responsible for the content of this message. 3 chief meteorologist kendra kent joins us with one more look at our forecast. And what to expect in the morning. Morning. The winter storms arrives tonight for our area, and we will feel the effects through saturday. Snow, ice, sleet and rain will be possible throughout the event, and heres how the timeline goes. Rain will move in through thursday evening, then turn to a wintry mix in the mountains by midnight. Expect sleet and rain, turning to freezing rain and snow through the overnight in western North Carolina. The upstate will see rain turn to freezing rain and sleet slowly through the overnight, mainly from greenville to the and gaf previously on two and a half men. I know that i said that i wanted to get rid of her and have you come back. Oh, no im just going to have to make it work. No, no, no, no, no okay, ill figure something out