LUMBERTON — The forecast for the next few days in Robeson County includes more of the same, but also has the potential for a frosty topping.

Yes, the National Weather Service again has the possibility of snow in the forecast, just as it did last week, and this time it puts the chances at about 30 percent.

If it snows, the flaky stuff will arrive on Wednesday afternoon and continue throughout the day and up until midnight. If the county gets any accumulation, and forecast models included that word before it melted away on Monday afternoon, the white stuff will be apparent for a while as temperatures will continue to be in the 30s during the days and down into the teens at night, which could freeze any wet stuff and make conditions treacherous for driving or even walking around.

The highest temperature in the National Weather Service through Saturday is 38 degrees on a sunny Thursday afternoon, while the lowest is 14 degrees on Thursday and Friday nights. For those who survive, it will be slightly warmer on Sunday and into the beginning of next week.

Even if it doesn’t snow, the cold has already given young folks in Robeson County a reason to be happy. Their Christmas and New Year’s vacation was extended by two hours as schools opened today on a two-hour delay so students would not have to stand in temperatures forecast for the teens while waiting on a school bus.

Although officials with the Public Schools of Robeson County only announced the delay for today, odds are there will be other late starts during the week as the forecast is essentially the same every day.

According to the Associated Press, warming shelters were open across the South as freeze watches and warnings blanketed the region, including hard freeze warnings for much of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.

Emergency management officials urged people to take precautions against the cold temperatures, reminding them to bring pets inside, to protect exposed pipes and to be vigilant when using electric space heaters.

Light rain and mist and temperatures below freezing caused an icy mess in the North Carolina mountains on New Year’s Eve. Traffic on Interstates 26 and 40 came to a standstill for several hours Sunday after wrecks and heavy holiday traffic made it harder to treat the slick spots. Some New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day celebrations were cancelled due to dangerous travel conditions.

Staff and wire report