Refreezing a threat after snowstorm with rain coming

RALEIGH, N.C. >> Seesawing temperatures across several southern states were gradually melting snow from a wintry storm, but also “transforming slushy roads into treacherous ice” during the morning commute, one governor warned Tuesday.

For businesses that depend on frozen precipitation, however, this week’s wintry storm wasn’t all bad.

Ski resorts in Virginia and North Carolina are boasting of strong ski conditions after getting smothered with snow over the weekend.

Beech Mountain Resort in western North Carolina said the storm brought two feet (60 centimeters) of new snow. It had 14 trails open Tuesday.

Wintergreen Resort in Virginia boasted on its website a similar amount of snow from the storm. It says the fresh snow is “making for some of the best slope conditions we’ve seen this early in years.”

The News & Advance of Lynchburg reported that Wintergreen had opened a week ahead of time, just before the snowstorm hit, because of cold, wet weather already this year.

Sunny skies in North Carolina and Virginia were helping to thaw out snow drifts left behind by the weekend storm, but temperatures were expected to plunge again, refreezing moisture on the roads Wednesday morning. North Carolina’s governor also warned that runoff from melting snow could combine with an expected rainstorm this week to increase the flooding threat along some rivers.

The storm was blamed for at least three deaths in North Carolina. Some roofs buckled under the weight of the snow, with a building collapse killing three horses at a farm in Gaston County, North Carolina. Tens of thousands of people were without power in several states.