Some NC roads may remain covered with ice and snow for days, NCDOT says
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NCDOT reports interstates cleared but two-lane and secondary roads may stay icy for days.
- Crews focus on state-maintained roads; Eastern NC faces toughest cleanup.
- Passenger trains back, ferries suspended, N.C. 12 closed due to ocean overwash.
Interstates and other major highways in North Carolina are mostly clear of snow after the record-breaking weekend storm, but the N.C. Department of Transportation says other state-maintained roads may take days to clean up.
Interstate 40 was clear from the Triangle through the Triad to the mountains by late Sunday, as was Interstate 95 in the east. NCDOT road crews and contractors turned their attention to other major highways and two-lane roads Monday.
That’s a bigger task in a state where the state maintains nearly every road outside cities and towns.
“We anticipate the hardest-hit areas will see impacts to the roads in the days to come,” state Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said in a statement. “Please be patient and give our crews space to work. Conditions vary across the state. We encourage people to avoid driving where snow and ice still cover the roads and to exercise caution and reduce speed when driving.”
To see the latest road conditions, go to drivenc.gov/. And if you’re wondering if your road is maintained by the state or a local government, you can find a searchable map of state-maintained roads here: www.nconemap.gov/maps/NCDOT::ncdot-state-maintained-roads/explore.
All 100 North Carolina counties received snow, but the amount varied widely. Dry air meant much of Wake County received just an inch or two, while areas of the Piedmont and near the coast received a foot or more.
NCDOT says it will take a few days to clear many routes, particularly in Eastern North Carolina where snow more than a foot deep covered a wide area.
Road crews are getting a little help from the weather. After a frigid day Sunday, daytime temperatures will warm above freezing through Wednesday, when the next storm system is expected to arrive, bringing a chance of snow, particularly west of the Triangle.
North Carolina’s state-sponsored passengers trains, the Piedmont and Carolinian, have resumed a full schedule.
The state’s ferries are beginning to operate again Tuesday. Ferry service between Ocracoke and Hatteras islands resumes Tuesday afternoon, with departures from Hatteras at 3 and 6 p.m. and departures from Ocracoke at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m.
The Southport-Fort Fisher and Pamlico Sound ferries to Ocracoke will also operate on a limited schedule Tuesday. The Cherry Branch-Minnesott Beach, Bayview-Aurora and Currituck-Knotts Island ferries remain suspended for now, NCDOT said early Tuesday afternoon.
N.C. 12, the main road on Hatteras, remains closed from Oregon Inlet to Rodanthe because of severe ocean overwash.
This story was originally published February 3, 2026 at 8:32 AM.
