Winter Storm Blankets North Carolina; 226K Now Without Power

CHARLOTTE, NC — More than 226,000 homes and businesses lost power in North Carolina on Sunday as a powerful winter storm brought snow, sleet and freezing rain to the state, along with treacherous driving conditions. Gov. Roy Cooper pleaded with residents to stay indoors and off the roads so as not to endanger themselves and emergency responders. Emergency teams worked through the night to clear crashes on major roadways, including a semi-truck that drove off the roadway and into a river, Cooper said.

"Stay put if you can," Cooper said. "Wrap a few presents, decorate the tree, watch some football."

A "prolonged period of snow" started late Saturday and will continue until Monday in the region, the National Weather Service said. The heaviest snow is expected to pound the northwest part of the state and into southern Virginia. Some mountainous areas could see up to a foot of snow or more.

American Airlines is reducing its operations at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. More than 1,000 flights were canceled Sunday, according to The Associated Press. American issued a travel alert for nine airports so affected travelers can make alternative travel plans without a fee.

Most of the outages are Duke Energy customers in the western part of the state, according to PowerOutage.us. Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania counties reported that up to 60 percent of homes and businesses were in the dark.

Temperatures will remain in the low 30s Sunday afternoon and evening, and will drop to near-freezing overnight. A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Monday, meaning significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice will make travel "very hazardous or impossible," the National Weather Service wrote.

"Snow will continue to transition to sleet and then freezing rain through the afternoon. A transition to rain is possible this evening, before another threat of light freezing rain or sleet returns overnight," the agency said.

Snowfall of between 4-8 inches or more is possible in Raleigh and Durham, as well as everywhere north to the Virginia border. Ice up to a quarter-inch is also possible.

Lead photos credit: Allen G. Breed/Associated Press