City prepares for expected snow/ice event this weekend

Thursday, January 22, 2026: Reidsville City crews are preparing for the area’s expected snow and ice arrival this weekend. Initial forecasts had snow coming in as early as Friday but the latest forecasts indicate several inches of snow with a possible quarter-inch of ice starting mid- to late-Saturday; however, these totals have been changing.

Regardless, this is considered a major weather event. With the increasing chance for ice comes the increased opportunity for downed trees and power lines. While City crews and public safety will make every attempt to answer calls as quickly as possible, please be aware that response times may be longer. City crews will respond to downed trees as time allows but they cannot move trees if power lines are involved. Those situations must be handled by Duke Energy. Water and sewer issues can be reported by calling 336-634-3300.

No matter what kind of precipitation we get this weekend, temperatures at the first of next week are supposed to remain in the 30s so what falls may remain with us for several days.

Based on the latest weather forecast, the Reidsville Public Works Department began pre-treating secondary City roadways with salt brine this morning. The goal, according to Public Works Operations Manager Josh Domina, is to then start applying the salt brine to some of Reidsville’s longer streets and finish the primary roads on Friday. City crews will also salt several key areas, such as the parking lots of the fire stations, Water Treatment Plant, Wastewater Treatment Plant, Police Department and City Hall.

As this event has shifted from a snow event to snow and ice, residents are encouraged to stay off City streets if at all possible. Police Chief Ray Gibson encourages residents to stay off the roadways, but if you must drive and become stranded, call 911 immediately as conditions are expected to be frigid and dangerous.

Residents are also urged to park their vehicles off City streets if possible to allow room for the City’s snow plows and other machinery to work. And while, this may mean snow may be pushed in front of driveways, City crews will not have the time to go back and unblock each driveway.

In the downtown area, crews may attempt to push large amounts of snow in predetermined parking lots. By City ordinance, vehicles are not supposed to be parking overnight in the downtown area, but people are urged to remove their cars and trucks from downtown lots prior to the inclement weather.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has also been making plans for roadways in the Piedmont Triad area. Inside the Reidsville City limits, NCDOT is responsible for salting and plowing several streets, including Freeway Drive, Scales Street, Barnes Street, Harrison Street and Richardson Drive.

Rockingham County has established a shelter hotline number for all county residents. A shelter will be established at Rockingham County Middle School starting at 10 a.m. Saturday for those who lose power and cannot stay in their homes, especially the elderly, etc. The hotline number is 336-634-3011.

Attempts will be made to provide updates over the weekend on the City website, reidsvillenc.gov on the City News page, or on the City of Reidsville Facebook page if possible. If there is significant snow/ice as expected, City offices will most likely be closed on Monday, January 26, if not longer.