Stock up and stay home during winter storm, Charlotte emergency officials caution
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- Officials urge Charlotte residents to gather supplies now and stay off roads this weekend.
- Forecasters warn ice may topple trees, cause outages and blocked roads.
- City pretreats roads, opens shelters and will deploy 24-hour crews,
Charlotte residents should gather food and supplies now and stay off roads beginning Saturday afternoon, when emergency response officials say the city will face one of the most impactful winter storms in years.
At a news conference Friday, officials stressed a long few days of widespread power outages and treacherous roads could lie ahead. Charlotte is expected to be one of the hardest hit big cities in the U.S. by the incoming winter storm, The Washington Post reported. Residents should create emergency plans now, officials said.
“This is not a snow storm. This is not a storm where we wanna go out and play, have our kids outside. We need people to stay off the roads or anywhere near the roads,” said Robert Wike Graham, deputy director of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management and division chief at Charlotte Fire.
Graham anticipates an increase in fires, rescues and emergency service responses. Staying at home when weather deteriorates will allow essential personnel to travel more safely to work.
Forecasters predict between a quarter of an inch and three-quarters of an inch of ice could coat Charlotte-area surfaces between Saturday and Monday morning. Snow could also be in the mix.
The two days of wintry precipitation could topple tree limbs and power lines, causing power outages and blocked roads across the county, officials said.
Gov. Josh Stein declared a state of emergency on Wednesday to activate emergency plans and prohibit price gauging.
What residents can do to prepare for Charlotte winter storm
The storm will usher in below-freezing temperatures, which Graham said will cause pipes to burst. Residents should make sure they have enough water for several days.
Residents can prepare by building a kit full of emergency supplies, including flashlights, batteries, medical supplies, fully-charged cell phones and battery-operated radios, Graham said.
“Usually I tell people have two or three ways of getting news,” Graham said. “We encourage everybody to have emergency radio. The internet might be down.”
Residents should test their smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors now and ensure they know how to operate backup generators if they have them. Generators should remain outside and at least 20 feet away from structures, Graham said.
Graham recommended nonperishable foods and cautioned residents not to cook indoors with items they don’t typically use. For example, keep charcoal stoves and turkey fryers outdoors.
Stocking up before the first precipitation falls on Saturday afternoon is key, officials said.
“Heed the warnings,” said Bret Balamucki, deputy chief at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. “Don’t become the victim yourself, and don’t create a victim by having emergency response have to come to you because you made a choice to go and do something that wasn’t a necessity.”
How is Charlotte preparing for winter storm?
Emergency personnel from salt truck drivers to firefighters will be increasing staff in response to the anticipated storm.
The Charlotte Department of Transportation began pretreating roads Thursday morning with salt brine and will shift to a 24-hour operation on Saturday, said Stephen Bolt, street superintendent with CDOT. Crews will shift their strategy toward fighting ice when the storm arrives tomorrow afternoon.
The city has “more than enough” salt on hand to respond this weekend, said Alfred Oyoyo, CDOT deputy street superintendent. CDOT crews will prioritize high-volume roads first.
“We will stay on shift until we completely remove the ice from primaries and our colelctor streets and focus on getting into neighborhoods as we can,” Bolt said.
Warming shelters are open across the county. Mecklenburg County expanded shelter capacity during the storm to ensure all who need a bed, have one, said Karen Peletier, director of community support at the county.
The landscape management division will handle roadway cleanup when residents report trees or large objects have fallen onto city property such as roads and sidewalks.
Residents can expect some wait times since there will likely be widespread damage, said Laurie Reid, the city arborist. Crews will clear downed trees from major roads first before clearing neighborhood streets, Reid said. Sidewalks will likely be cleared under normal operations next week.
Do not inspect fallen trees or attempt to cut them.
“It might be your first instinct to go inspect it and see what’s happening, but you don’t know if there’s any utility lines involved, so it’s really important to leave those trees alone and call somebody to deal with it,” Reid said. “It’s really important to allow this cleanup to happen by professionals that are out there.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2026 at 3:27 PM.
