Salt, heaters and propane: Wilmington stores stock up for second weekend of winter weather

Propane, salt, faucet covers, kerosene heaters and pipe insulation were in high demand at hardware stores across the Cape Fear region as the area geared up for an ice storm last week.

Now, the stores are seeing another small uptick as residents again prepare for cold temperatures and the chance of flurries heading into the weekend.

The National Weather Service is predicting that rain expected to start on Friday will change over to snow in the early hours of Saturday morning as temperatures drop.

A mix of rain and snow are expected between midnight and 4 a.m. Saturday, and a forecast released Thursday morning predicts a 30% chance of snow showers after 8 a.m.

There's a chance of some snow accumulation, especially on grassy and elevated surfaces and in northern sections of Pender County, but less than one inch is expected.

More: National Weather Service: Potential for snow Saturday in Wilmington

More: Wilmington spared major damages as overnight storm leaves ice, dangerous road conditions

For some, the forecasted weather could seem like a repeat of last weekend when many in the Wilmington area woke up to a layer of ice and a dusting of snow on outdoor surfaces.

In the days before that ice storm hit, Hanover Hardware in Wrightsboro saw a flood of business, said Freddy Fernandez, the store's manager, with customers looking for propane and kerosene to fuel heaters and faucet covers and insulation to keep pipes from bursting in the freezing temperatures.

Salt has also been in high demand. The store sold out of salt last week as customers bought several 40-pound bags at a time. New Hanover County even purchased roughly 60 bags of salt from the store ahead of last week's storm, Fernandez said.

While the hardware store restocked its salt supply earlier this week, "it is slowly and surely getting bought out," Fernandez said.

The store has continued to see a small uptick in demand for propane and salt as customers prepare for the next round of winter weather.

"We still have a little more business in those aspects than we normally do but otherwise it’s slowed down compared to last week,” Fernandez said.

Demand for salt has also been high at Leland Ace Hardware, but the store hasn't had any for months due to manufacturing issues, said store manager Austin Little.

The store is also out of faucet covers and kerosene. Little said he expects to get more salt, faucet covers and kerosene in a shipment set to arrive Thursday afternoon.

Rocky Point Hardware sold out of faucet covers and propane last week, according to assistant store manager Jessica Meadows-Dvorak. They've been able to get more propane but are still waiting on a shipment of faucet covers.

The store doesn't stock salt, but had around 30 customers asking for it, Meadows-Dvorak said. “Next year, we’re going to have some,” she added.

As of Thursday, local governments were making some preparations for snow.

The city of Wilmington restocked the materials it uses to keep roads passable during winter weather events and will have a brine truck and spreader ready to deploy, according to Wilmington media manager Jennifer Dandron.

"We expect conditions to be milder than last weekend, so our response is not as heavy-handed," Dandron wrote in an email to the StarNews. "Our fleet will be ready to respond as needed."

Other officials throughout the tri-county area said they're continuing to monitor the forecast to prepare for any winter weather.

Anna McRay, New Hanover County's Emergency Management Assistant Director, called the forecasted weather a "minor event" in the county, but warned residents to stay alert and watch out for black ice.

"With the freezing temperatures expected, the biggest threat is if anything melts or the roads are wet, there will likely be re-freezing and a good chance for black ice for travel Sunday morning," McRay wrote in an email to the StarNews.

New Hanover County will continue monitoring the weather and will stay in touch with staff and residents with updated information on the storm, she wrote.

In Brunswick County, the Public Utilities Department has ensured its generators are fueled and ready for operation and the county has made sure it has enough fuel and salt, if needed, according to the county's public information officer Meagan Kascsak.

Officials in Pender County are also taking steps to monitor the incoming weather but say they don't expect any significant impacts from the forecasted storm.

“We are preparing and will be watching the weather, forecast models, and will have staff monitoring the weather across the county," Pender County Emergency Director Tommy Batson wrote in an email to the StarNews. "No threat hazards are expected at this time."

Reporter Emma Dill can be reached at 910-343-2096 or edill@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington stores stock up on supplies for weekend of winter weather