‘Stay put:’ NC’s icy winter storm cancels flights and makes travel treacherous
The silent creep of early morning snowfall in the Triangle quickly turned to the patter of ice pellets Sunday as a winter storm gripped most of North Carolina, seizing roads, downing power lines and making travel treacherous.
Most of the storm’s snow fell in Western North Carolina counties, which saw inches of snow blanket the mountain region. The Triangle’s snowfall was minimal, instead switching to sleet and freezing rain.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation urged motorists to stay home Sunday.
“After the storm hits, please stay home and off the roads,” NCDOT chief operating officer Beau Memory said in a news release before the storm. “NCDOT and contractor crews will do the best they can to clear roads as quickly as possible, but we ask everyone to be safe and stay patient.”
The storm canceled most of the flights scheduled for Raleigh-Durham International Airport Sunday, with airport officials reporting nearly 150 flights had been called off.
Gov. Roy Cooper urged state residents to shelter in place if possible, as below-freezing temperatures and sleet made roadways icy.
“The best way to avoid a car accident or being stranded is to stay put,” Cooper said Sunday during a news briefing. “Please don’t take unnecessary chances with this dangerous winter storm.”
Power outages, parked buses
The North Carolina office of Emergency Management reported more than 41,000 homes and businesses across the state were without power by noon. By 2 p.m. that number had eclipsed 90,000, according to outages reported by state officials.
While most of the early outages occurred in the western part of the state, midday freezing rain had knocked out electricity to more than 12,000 homes In the Triangle.
On Interstate 95, an icy, low-hanging power line shut down both lanes of travel on the highway near St. Pauls in Robeson County, about 30 miles north of the South Carolina border.
By mid-morning, many of the Triangle’s transit services had suspended service, including buses from Chapel Hill Transit, GoDurham, GoCary and the Morrisville Smart Shuttle.
State of emergency
The National Weather Service reported the first flakes in the Triangle fell in North Raleigh around 5:35 a.m. That snow had turned to ice a few hours later, with the Triangle counties expected to see as much as a quarter to a half-inch of ice accumulation.
A state of emergency was declared in 25 counties, North Carolina Emergency Management Chief of Staff Don Campbell said Sunday, with many requesting chainsaw crews and Humvees from the North Carolina National Guard.
The North Carolina State Highway Patrol reported 460 calls for service through Sunday morning and said troopers had responded to 200 wrecks as road conditions continued to deteriorate.
With mounting power outages, some North Carolina counties opened shelters and warming centers for residents in need. Shelters opened in Iredell, Moore and Warren counties, the state said.
This story was originally published January 16, 2022 at 12:25 PM.
