Caldwell County caught a break of sorts during the weekend when the storm that was expected to generate some 10-15 inches of snow instead dropped in the neighborhood of 6-8 inches on most parts of the county.

We're not out of the woods yet, though.

Another system that started to push its way through Monday evening was expected to bring sleet and rain to the area that could impact today's morning commute for folks, especially with temperatures that dropped below freezing again overnight.

The weekend storm, which started late Friday evening and stretched into Saturday afternoon left many roads - primary and secondary - covered in a layer of snow and ice. Crews with the N.C. Department of Transportation started spreading a brine solution on the roads as early as Wednesday last week, and that gave some assistance in dealing with the conditions, though work on road clearing did not begin in earnest until Saturday afternoon.

Rodney Gantt, county maintenance engineer for the NCDOT Division of Highways office in Hudson, said primary roads were clear Monday, and a number of secondary roads were open, though he noted that there were a lot of those side roads still in bad shape.

"We've had every truck and motor grader available putting out a mix," Gantt said. "Hopefully nothing will come from this latest system, and we can get another good plow day."

Crews used plows and motor graders Saturday afternoon and night to scrape roads, getting some of the primary routes in passable condition, though still covered with snow and ice. Temperatures that climbed into the 40s, warmer than the predicted high of 35, helped with the clearance efforts Sunday by melting away a lot of the snow on roads that had been scraped and salted, though some icy patches remained, especially in shaded areas. Sunshine also helped continue the melting process Monday.

"That's a big help," Gantt said. "Mother Nature helped break that bond between surface and ice. It loosened it so we could knock it off. Anytime you get temperatures like that it's a big help."

The N.C. Highway Patrol reported no major collisions in Caldwell County, though there were some accidents. Most of the traffic issues encountered by troopers came from vehicles sliding off slick roads into ditches or medians and on to shoulders.

"I think people followed advice and stayed home," NCHP First Sgt. G.W. McClelland said. "I was very pleased with the fact that we had so few collisions. It appears they were much lower than the number we normally have in conditions like this."

McClelland indicated that roads throughout the county were in much better shape Monday than they were during the weekend with most major roads clear of snow and ice. However, he issued a warning to motorists who may be traveling again this morning: Watch for black ice.

"There will be black ice in some spots, and you usually don't know it until you're on it," he said. "Just be cautious as you travel. The problem we are going to have will be when the melting snow and ice starts to refreeze."

Gantt said one concern for his work crews is a dwindling supply of materials to use on the roads. He said salt and sand were running low Monday, but the office was expecting 1,300 tons of salt and another 1,000 tons of sand later this week.

"We've not been home since this event started, and we'll continue to work 24/7 until we have the roads cleared," he said.

Sleet was in the overnight forecast and expected to continue this morning before changing over to rain. Temperatures should be in the low 40s today. The rain and warmer temperatures could help more with the thawing of some snow and ice.

The forecast for Wednesday calls for sunny conditions with highs in the mid-to uper-40s, though Thursday could bring rain and sleet.

There's a chance for more wintry weather in the forecast as the weekend approaches. Friday's highs will be in the mid-30s with a 70 percent chance of snow and rain, and Saturday's forecast calls for a 30 percent chance of rain and snow with a temperature in the 30s.