Sunday, Governor Roy Cooper declared a State of Emergency for all 100 counties to help utility workers restore power quickly in parts of western and central North Carolina.
Those areas were hard hit by the second winter storm in a month. The storm caused massive power outages from snow, ice and freezing rain.
A wintry mix of precipitation ranging from a few inches of snow or rain to .25 of freezing rain has fallen across western and central portions of North Carolina this weekend. At 4:00 p.m. Sunday approximately 98,000 customers were without power; the majority of those were in Forsyth, Henderson, Rockingham, Stokes, Guilford, Caswell, Yadkin, Wilkes, Transylvania, Buncombe and Surry counties.
Utility crews have been mobilized to restore power as quickly as possible.
Gov. Cooper declared a State of Emergency to facilitate movement of any resources needed to respond to the storm and ordered that truck weight, size and hours of service restrictions be waived. This allows vehicles carrying essential supplies and equipment and utility trucks working to restore power to get where they are needed quickly.
“Though the worst of the storm is over, conditions are still hazardous in areas that saw snow and ice," Governor Cooper said. “If you are without power, please be careful if you are using alternative heat sources. Slow down if you're driving in areas where roads may be slick, and watch out for patchy black ice tomorrow morning, especially north and west of I-85."
Winter Storm Warnings issued by the National Weather Service remain in effect through this evening for much of the mountains and northwestern piedmont. Winter Weather Advisories remains in effect for portions of the southwestern mountains, Charlotte Metro area, and portions of central North Carolina until this evening.
Roads are hazardous to travel in many areas affected by this storm. People who do not need to travel are urged to stay off the roads in these areas to avoid dangerous conditions, such as falling trees.
Accoriding to a media release from the Governor's office, nearly 1,000 NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) workers are working to clear snow and ice in the western part of the state and the Triad, as well counties along the Virginia border and in the northern coastal area.
More than 600 NCDOT trucks and graders are working on the roads, as well as over 400 contractor vehicles.
More than 4,600 tons of salt and salt/sand mix and 188,000 gallons of salt brine have been used in the effort so far