While the Triad escaped the direst weather predictions last weekend, many are still struggling to dig out from under snow and ice, get roads cleared, and schools and other government buildings and services running normally. But Winter Storm Fern wasn’t the end of low temperatures, snow, and ice as the month comes to a close.
The National Weather Service is forecasting another blast of arctic air Friday through Saturday throughout the southeast and as far south as Florida, leading to record-low temperatures. The potential for more snow is forecast for the weekend, with high temperatures below freezing on Saturday and Sunday.
Greensboro City Manager Nathaniel “Trey” Davis has been with the city for over 20 years and in the manager’s seat since October 2024. But last weekend was his first major winter storm at the helm of the sprawling, multi-department effort that has to mobilize in such dangerous weather.
“A storm like this that brings such issues is never great,” Davis told The Assembly this week. “But the performance and dedication of our staff has been great. I saw an amazing collaboration between them and our infrastructure team, our transportation department.”
Two of the city’s “rock stars” throughout the effort were Assistant City Manager Andrea Harrell and Assistant City Manager Tiffany Oliva, Davis said. Harrell oversees public safety, including police, fire, and 9-1-1 response, as well as leading efforts to ensure shelters are available for the unhoused and those without power in a major winter storm. Oliva, the city’s newest assistant city manager, oversees transportation and infrastructure.
“She was out there riding one of the trucks, clearing roadways,” Davis said of Oliva. “It was just amazing to watch them work.”
All hands were on deck as the city scrambled to be sure they had all the salt and other treatment materials the city needed ahead of the storm, Davis said. That made a huge difference to recovery and plowing going as swiftly as it has.
No one was expecting yet more freezing winter and precipitation in the coming weekend, Davis said, but the last week has shown him that the team in place can handle it.
Today, a By The Numbers look at city efforts as Greensboro braces for more. (Sources: City of Greensboro, National Weather Service)
530
Miles of roads the city needed to pre-treat with salt brine before Winter Storm Fern.
130
Bridges that needed to be similarly treated.
2,400
Miles of city streets needing treatment.
10 million
Pounds of salt housed in two city salt barns.
20°F
The lowest temperature at which salt brine is effective at preventing rain and snow from freezing on roads, bridges, and city streets.
Unfortunately, temperatures dipped into the mid to low teens when precipitation began in the Triad on Saturday. That’s led to a longer thawing period that continues in some areas, further delaying the opening of county schools and some city services into Tuesday and Wednesday. The longer the temperatures linger at or around the freezing point (32°F) and drop well below that in the evening, the more persistent refreezing will be. With freezing temperatures continuing this weekend and more precipitation on the way, we could be looking at more of the same into next week.
40
Snow and ice trucks in the city’s fleet, with more support vehicles and equipment as part of the effort.
91
Drivers working the roads and city streets, alongside 18 other employees managing shifts, supervising snow quads, monitoring the dispatch line, loading trucks with salt, and ferrying supplies from city warehouses.
200
Frontline city staff working alternating 12-hour shifts since Saturday.
98%
Priority 1 roads cleared to bare pavement through salting, plowing, and grading of icy spots. That’s about 1,150 miles of road. See which roads qualify as priorities 1, 2, and 3 in this interactive map.
151
People who took shelter at two temporary sites, Glenwood Recreation Center at 2010 Coliseum Boulevard and First Baptist Church at 1000 W. Friendly Ave., on Monday night. The city is working to keep those sites open throughout the week.
