CHARLOTTE — A major winter storm brought two waves of wintry precipitation to our region, which caused some traffic issues and disruptions in air travel.
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Some areas got a half inch of ice. Here are the totals:
Live updates:
9 p.m. - Most of the frozen precipitation moved east out of the Channel 9 viewing area.
8:45 p.m. - Charlotte Fire responded to 350 calls, with 52 of those being storm-related, since noon Sunday. That is normal call volume.
7:30 p.m. -
7 p.m. - Duke Energy is reporting 6,000 outages in our area with 3,771 in Mecklenburg County. Most of those outages in southeast Charlotte.
6:10 p.m. - We’re starting to see power outages spreading in the Charlotte region. As of 6 p.m., there were several hundred customers without power in the Mount Holly area, another outage in Lowell left nearly 1,000 customers without power, and three outages in the area from Shelby to Cherryville were affecting over 1,000 customers.
To report outages to Duke Energy, call 1-800-769-3766 or text OUT to 57801. You can find additional contact phone numbers at this link.
5:45 p.m. - The Federal Aviation Administration announced that a ground stop is in place for American Airlines flights until 6:30 p.m., and that ground stop could be extended.
5 p.m. - MEDIC says they’ve responded to 22 traffic accidents in Mecklenburg County so far, as sleet is steadily falling.
Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe reported in Concord that ice was accumulating quickly on windshields, and he spotted a snow plow putting down salt along Poplar Tent Road.
Severe Weather Center 9 Chief Meteorologist John Ahrens says this second round of freezing rain and sleet could last until about 7 or 8 p.m. At that point, we’re expecting to see more impacts to power outages.
4:15 p.m. - Conditions west of Charlotte are deteriorating quickly as precipitation is continuing to fall and freeze on the roads.
Channel 9 spotted a tractor-trailer that flipped over on northbound Interstate 85 in Gaston County, and that crash was causing a big traffic backup Sunday afternoon.
3:45 p.m. - The terminal Doppler radar at Charlotte Douglas International Airport has frozen over. Many other news stations rely on that radar, but our Channel 9 live radar is still online and active.
Keep an eye on the incoming freezing rain with Channel 9’s local radar at this link.
3:30 p.m. - A light drizzle has returned to the Charlotte area, and we’re expecting the precipitation to continue through the early evening Sunday.
2 p.m. - Channel 9’s John Ahrens is tracking the next round of precipitation later Sunday, and this is what’s going to bring the potential power outages. We’re still expecting around .25″ of ice accumulation in the Charlotte area.
1:45 p.m. - If the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is crashing on the roads, that may be your sign to stay home for the rest of the day. One cruiser spun into a crash on Interstate 85 near Mallard Creek Road Sunday afternoon.
[ RELATED >> Snow, sleet worsen road conditions in Union County ]
Noon Update from Severe Weather Center 9 - We’re seeing a lull in precipitation as of midday across the Carolinas, but don’t let your guard down quite yet. We’re watching a second batch of moisture moving in later this afternoon and evening that will bring a heavier round of precipitation, this time falling as freezing rain. Expect some quick accumulations of ice as this wave of energy moves through, with gusty winds possible too. Not only will this cause icy conditions area-wide, but it will also lead to an increased risk of power outages that could linger into Monday.
We finally see drier air move in tonight with very cold conditions continuing into Monday. We will briefly make it above freezing Monday afternoon, before dangerous cold arrives Tuesday morning with lows in the single digits and low teens, feeling colder with the wind.
But even with the lull in sleet, some neighbors saw an opportunity to get some use out of their sleds for the first time in 2026.
11:20 a.m. - As the region is seeing more sleet than freezing rain Sunday morning, the Severe Weather Center 9 team is adjusting ice accumulation predictions slightly downward.
About half of Charlotte could see less than .25″ of ice accumulation, with neighbors north of I-85 likely to see more than .25″.
Keep an eye on the WSOC Weather app to see when freezing rain starts up later Sunday.
[ ICE STORM COVERAGE >> ‘Hell mix’: Wintry blast creates hazardous road conditions in Foothills ]
11 a.m. - Remember that CATS delay we told you about? It’s now a full-blown suspension for all of Sunday. CATS says they expect to resume public transit services across Charlotte around 10 a.m. Monday. Express Bus Service is cancelled until Tuesday.
10:40 a.m. - The North Carolina Department of Transportation is keeping it simple: stay off the roads if you don’t have to go anywhere. During a 10:30 a.m. press conference, officials said they had crews in place across the state to respond to icing conditions.
So how much sleet have we received already? Severe Weather Center 9’s Danielle Miller tracked some of the bigger totals outside of Charlotte, including sleet in Mount Holly, Cherryville, Granite Falls, and more.
10:15 a.m. - "We’re not done yet," says Severe Weather Center 9’s Keith Monday. While many of us are waking up to sleet across our yards and roads, there’s another round of precipitation that could bring hazardous freezing rain.
MEDIC reported that they had responded to nine traffic accident calls since midnight, and they were all before 4 a.m.
We’re seeing a jackknifed tractor-trailer on I-485 inner near W.T. Harris Boulevard, but it was just partially blocking the highway.
9:25 a.m. - Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools announced that classes and school activities are cancelled for Monday, joining a growing list of school closures across the state that are avoiding inclement weather.
Keep an eye on school closings, church cancellations, and business closings at this link.
9:15 a.m. - Ice is building on power lines and trees, and we’re still expecting the heaviest round of precipitation on the way.
Channel 9’s Joe Bruno went to the Pineville area, where crews are working on a water main break as icy conditions continue to get worse. Nearby, power lines were spotted with a line of icicles beginning to grow.
CATS also announced a delay for bus service and the Blue Line until 12 p.m. Sunday.
9 a.m. - Channel 9’s Hunter Sáenz visited Union County and saw a thicker blanket of white ice and flurries, along with slick conditions on Independence Boulevard going east.
8 a.m. - Taking a look at road conditions across the area, we could see a familiar site from Gastonia to Charlotte, from Statesville to South Carolina: ice everywhere.
See photos of road conditions at sunrise:
7:45 a.m. - Here’s your timeline for what to expect throughout the day Sunday: that heavier round of precipitation is expected between 4 and 7 p.m., and that’s after hours of freezing rain and sleet.
7:10 a.m. - Severe Weather Center 9 is tracking temperatures as daylight rises over the Carolinas, but wind chills were frigid at sunrise.
6:30 a.m. - Sleet and freezing rain are falling Sunday morning, and many roads were covered in a layer of white ice. Channel 9 spotted transportation crews out laying salt and plowing roads all morning.
However, travel is discouraged all day -- the North Carolina State Highway Patrol reported 207 crashes statewide as of 6 a.m., and that number will continue to climb.
A steadier batch of freezing rain will develop Sunday afternoon, and that last burst could push storm ice totals to a half-inch or more. That’s when we could start to see even more power outages.
In Pineville, police had to close a section of Highway 51 due to a water main break during the ice storm.
5:30 a.m. - Some areas have already picked up a tenth of an inch of ice, and this will continue as we transition to all freezing rain as the day goes on. Travel is discouraged all day.
Currently, Duke Energy is reporting a total of 69 active outages across the state, affecting around 2,300 customers.
[ ICE STORM FORECAST: Accumulation begins as freezing rain, sleet pick up ]
Overnight & Sunday morning: The freezing rain will continue to accumulate overnight, creating hazardous conditions for roads and power lines across the region. See the latest update from Chief Meteorologist John Ahrens below, and watch Eyewitness News on Channel 9 starting at 4 a.m. Sunday for continuing coverage.
11 p.m. - If you’re reading this and you’re about to drive: don’t.
Roads are starting to freeze over in the Charlotte area, and parts of I-77 in Iredell County were blanketed in ice.
10:15 p.m. - Another storm-related power outage was reported in south Charlotte. You can find out how to report power outages and downed trees near you at this link.
[ CHECK IT OUT >> Crews respond to trees on power lines in east Charlotte ]
9:45 p.m. - Charlotte Douglas International Airport is reporting freezing rain, and hundreds of flights out of the airport were cancelled Saturday.
A few small power outages have been reported in connection with storm damage, with a little over 100 customers impacted in the Charlotte area, but Duke Energy says repair crews are waiting for conditions to improve.
9 p.m. - Sleet is already falling north of Charlotte, with drivers along Interstate 77 seeing a swirl of precipitation on the roads near Mooresville.
8:45 p.m. - Reports are coming in that freezing rain is beginning to mix in across the area. We’re also tracking the response to branches falling in east Charlotte.
8:05 p.m. - Temperatures in the Charlotte region are below freezing, so the stage is set for precipitation to freeze on the roads.
7:30 p.m. - We’re starting to see sleet around the area - the first sign of things going downhill overnight! That sleet will change over to freezing rain overnight and fall at a light rate all through Sunday morning.
After that, it will come at us in waves - with each amount of rain freezing as it makes contact with the ground. This will produce major travel issues through Sunday.
Ice accumulations will build up over time - adding up to about 0.5″ in the Charlotte area. Some slightly higher amounts will be possible to the North. That ice will begin to weigh down on trees and lines Sunday night and increase the threat of power outages into Monday morning.
Channel 9’s Jonathan Lowe was driving north on Interstate 85 toward Concord and saw ice starting to freeze on windshields.
Road temperatures were already below freezing by 6 p.m., as Channel 9’s Joe Puma found that one overpass had an asphalt temperature below 20 degrees.
[ Street temperatures plummet as ice storm approaches Charlotte ]
7 p.m. - School cancellations are starting to trickle in for Monday. Gaston County Schools and Burke County Schools announced full closure for Monday.
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(VIDEO: Flight cancellations soar as storm disrupts travel plans across North Carolina and the country)
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