Charlotte, North Carolina – A crippling ice storm continues to grip the Carolinas and northeast Georgia, leaving roads treacherous, trees weighed down with ice, and power outages increasingly likely through Monday.
According to the National Weather Service in Greenville-Spartanburg, an Ice Storm Warning remains in effect until 1 p.m. Monday for a large portion of western and central North Carolina, Upstate South Carolina, and northeast Georgia. The warning follows earlier sleet and freezing rain that coated roadways, power lines, and trees with significant ice, while gusty winds of 45 to 55 mph in higher elevations are worsening the damage potential.
The impacts are widespread and severe. In North Carolina, the warning covers Charlotte, Gastonia, Concord, Kannapolis, Hickory, Statesville, Asheville, Hendersonville, and surrounding mountain and foothill communities. In South Carolina, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Rock Hill, Laurens, Greenwood, and Chester are seeing icy roads and growing concerns for falling tree limbs. Northeast Georgia communities including Toccoa, Hartwell, Elberton, and Clarkesville are also affected.
Emergency officials warn that ice-laden trees and power lines may snap, leading to numerous outages that could last for days in some areas, especially in the mountains. Ice-covered roads are becoming impassable, and travel is strongly discouraged, including during the Monday morning commute.
Residents are urged to stay off roads, prepare for extended power outages, and avoid downed power lines. Those who must travel should carry emergency supplies and use extreme caution.
Conditions are expected to gradually improve Monday afternoon as temperatures rise, but lingering ice and damage may persist well beyond that. The Ice Storm Warning remains in effect through early Monday afternoon, with additional updates expected.
