Winter storm has NC under state of emergency. How that affects sports schedules
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Big winter storm may disrupt travel and force postponement of regional games
- ACC and teams will consult protocols to decide game status based on access
- Storm could affect pro and college schedules Friday through weekend
The Big Storm is on the way, bringing snow, ice and bitter cold temperatures with it.
That’s what most meteorologists, local and national, are forecasting for the weekend as a big blast of Arctic air is set to collide with warm moisture from the South to create what could be extremely hazardous wintry conditions in the East and Southeast.
Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency for North Carolina on Wednesday, urging residents to “stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively.”
The storm, predicted to sweep across the U.S. this week, could jumble the local sports calendar and the schedules for ACC teams and the Carolina Hurricanes, although no events have been impacted as of Wednesday.
The Wolfpack men’s basketball team is scheduled to be in Pittsburgh on Saturday for an ACC basketball game, and the Wolfpack women play Virginia on Sunday in Charlottesville, Virginia.
No. 22 North Carolina’s men’s team is at Virginia on Saturday while the UNC women are set to host Syracuse on Sunday.
No. 5 Duke has a home game Saturday against Wake Forest, then has No. 23 Louisville coming in for a Monday game. The Duke women, ranked No. 21, play at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The ACC announced Thursday that because of the threat of bad weather, Duke men’s game Saturday and UNC’s game at Virginia both would have noon starts.
The Wolfpack and UNC wrestlers also face off Friday night at Reynolds Coliseum – both teams nationally ranked and a large crowd expected.
All weather permitting, of course. Any travel delays could lead to possible postponements, with information from the National Weather Service saying 160 million people could experience wintry and icy conditions in a 2,000-mile weather corridor stretching from the Southwest to the East Coast.
In the Carolinas, the biggest threat could be from freezing rain and sleet accumulations beginning Friday and lasting through the weekend.
The Hurricanes have a home game Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks and then leave Friday for Ottawa and a Saturday game against the Senators. The forecast in Ottawa is for sunny skies but with below-zero temperatures.
The ACC has protocols in place to determine the postponement of games. According to the ACC, every effort will be made to play the games if the teams, game officials and essential game management personnel can make it to the playing facility. Decisions will be made after careful evaluation following consultation with public safety officials.
A year ago, a state of emergency was called by Gov. Stein just before N.C. State’s men’s game at UNC on Feb. 19, and Wolfpack and Tar Heel fans urged not to drive to the game in Chapel Hill. The game was played and the Smith Center had an open admission for anyone who could reach the game.
In January 2017, the Pack’s game at UNC was postponed one day because of snowy, icy conditions
After the Wolfpack’s road win Tuesday at Clemson, NCSU coach Will Wade was asked about potential travel problems for the Pitt game on Saturday.
“I came from the South and we bussed everywhere,” Wade joked. “We’ll get on that bus and we’ll bus back if we need to. We’re not going to worry about that. As long as we can get up there and play the game, we’ll figure out how to get back.”
This story was originally published January 20, 2026 at 2:25 PM.
