Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 2 to 3, 1996

A major ice storm occurred across northwest and north-central North Carolina from the late evening hours on the 1st into the early evening hours on the 2nd. Snow mixed with the sleet and freezing rain fell at the higher elevations in Ashe, Watauga, and Alleghany Counties with freezing rain and some sleet occurring elsewhere. The precipitation changed to all snow during the evening hours on the 2nd and continued until the early morning hours on the 3rd. Major accumulations of ice brought down trees, tree limbs, power lines, and some power poles across much of northwest and north-central North Carolina. Fallen trees and tree limbs blocked roads and damaged homes and businesses. Numerous power outages occurred across the area. In Rockingham County, 23,000 homes were without power for several days. In Wilkes County, nearly 20,000 homes were without power for a time. Hazardous road conditions, especially on bridges and overpasses resulted in numerous traffic accidents and some injuries.Snow accumulations during the evening hours on the 2nd and early morning hours on the 3rd were from 4 to 8 inches in Ashe and Alleghany Counties and generally from 2 to 4 inches in the remainder of northwest and north-central North Carolina. Wilkes, Surry and Yadkin Counties were declared federal disaster areas.