(RALEIGH) -- It is Winter Weather Awareness Week in North Carolina, and the National Weather Service wants people to be ready. Nick Petro of the National Weather Service said North Carolina often finds itself prone to winter weather because of proximity.

"Often times cold air can become trapped particularly in the lower levels of the atmosphere, so when these storm systems come up from the south often times the warm air will ride over top, if you will, that colder denser air, help create the precipitation," said Petro.

He added that Winter Weather Awareness week is designed to teach people how to stay safe when the next major storm hits.