Feb. 4--Road conditions are improving at midday, after an overnight snowfall that froze on many Charlotte-area roadways, closing schools and causing dozens of wrecks.

Sunshine and temperatures climbing slowly into the upper 20s are helping melt the ice that crusted on roads in the region.

State and city road crews have spread slag on bridges, overpasses and hills, which were the site of many wrecks earlier this morning.

The big problems at midday are shady areas.

Motorists are encountering problems when they drive from wet roadways onto icy patches, where shade from trees has prevented the sun from melting the snow and ice. Authorities urge motorists to drive carefully this afternoon, especially on secondary roads.

Icy roads closed the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and the area's private schools. CPCC also is closed, but the area's other universities opened on a delayed basis.

Normal conditions are being reported at Charlotte/Douglas International Airport.

As was the case with a snowstorm last month, the worst conditions were east of Charlotte.

Places like Gaston and Lincoln counties, and even extreme Western Mecklenburg County, received little or no snow. Up to 2 inches fell in Matthews, Mint Hill, Union, Stanly, Anson, Lancaster (S.C.) and Chesterfield (S.C.) counties. The snow was followed by fast-dropping temperatures that turned slush to ice.

The result was a mess.

Police were forced to close a portion of University City Boulevard this morning after a bad wreck, but the road was reopened about 7:45 a.m.

Sardis Road North was closed a short time later, due to ice on two hilly portions of that street. City crews were called to spread slag, and the road eventually reopened.

The area's interstate highways are generally in good shape at mid-morning, as are main roads like Independence Boulevard, University City Boulevard, and Pineville-Matthews Road.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police spokesman Officer Robert Fey said the decision by school officials to cancel classes helped cut the number of wrecks.

"The amount of traffic on the roads this morning is noticeably less than a typical day," Fey said. He also reminded motorists to slow down and to avoid using cell phones while driving on the slippery streets.

Still, Fey reported that CMPD responded to 40 wrecks by 7 a.m. -- compared to 10 during the same time period Tuesday.

Eric Morrison, a spokesman for Mecklenburg County's emergency medical service, Medic, said crews have responded to 24 wrecks since midnight. Only eight people needed hospitalization, he said, and all the injuries were not life-threatening.

Jen Thompson, of the N.C. Department of Transportation, said state crews are working to deal with icy roads -- especially on the east side of Charlotte.

"We're in pretty good shape," Thompson said late this morning.

Interstate highways and major U.S. and state routes are mostly dry.

Much worse conditions are being reported in North Carolina's mountains, where six inches or more of snow have fallen. Wind chills are near 20 degrees below zero in some mountain areas today, and roads are said to be impassable in spots.

The snow fell mostly between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. in the Charlotte-Concord area. Forecasters originally had predicted only flurries for the area, but a strong band of snow developed overnight along a cold front crossing the region.

Temperatures were near or slightly above freezing when the snow crossed the region. The precipitation was along a strong cold front sweeping over the Carolinas during the night. Temperatures fell into the upper teens and lower 20s by daybreak.

NewsChannel 36 contributed.

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