Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 2, 1996

By the early morning hours damaging accumulations of ice were becoming widespread. Northern mountain counties reported freezing rain and sleet accrual of 1 to 3 inches on roads with damage becoming common. Significant icing began in foothill counties. The icing situation eased a bit during the day in a few areas before becoming worse toward evening. In many areas the severe icing did not abate until the storm ended during the late night. By 1500 EST, many major population centers such as Hickory and Statesville were reporting 50 percent power outages. The storm became the "worst ice storm ever" in local power company reocrds. By late night most customers had lost power. Many customers did not have power restored for up to a week during extremely cold weather. Around 1800 EST the freezing rain began to change over to sleet and then snow as drier and colder air surged in. Some thunder was reported. This left a very slick and dangerous surface on top of the massive accumulations of ice. Emergency crews were not able to respond quickly to stranded motorist and those without power. Numerous shelters were opened and some counties declared official emergency conditions.