Ice blankets Charlotte as windchill drops with evening ‘thunder ice’ possibility
It came later than expected, but an ice storm reached Charlotte Saturday night, leaving the city under a frosting of ice that continued to grow through the day Sunday, forecasters say.
The Charlotte area had a 100% chance of precipitation Sunday and more than a quarter of an inch of ice was expected to accumulate on surfaces, particularly with an evening burst. The high Sunday was 30 degrees and the low was in the upper 20s. By 4:50 p.m., the windchill hovered around 16 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
On Saturday, President Donald Trump approved Gov. Josh Stein’s request for an emergency declaration. The approval unlocks federal resources for North Carolina to use in storm recovery efforts like additional generators for hospitals, support for sheltering operations and emergency fuel, food and water.
“Freezing rain today and bitter cold in the coming days will continue to bring dangerous road conditions and power outages,” Stein said in a Sunday morning news conference. “Be sure to have a plan for if your power goes out, and please stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.”
As of 5:30 p.m., over 1,115 flights had been cancelled at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
The storm’s “slow start” meant an expected warmup was also delayed, forecasters say. “Freezing rain and freezing drizzle is ongoing across much of the area, with icy road conditions already developing,” the National Weather Service reported.
“Radar trends upstream indicate that both the coverage and intensity of freezing rain will gradually increase overnight, which may lead to worsening travel conditions.”
North Carolina Department of Transportation officials announced late Sunday morning that most roads across Mecklenburg, Anson, Cabarrus, Stanly and Union counties were “partially or completely covered in ice.” They encouraged residents to avoid travel if possible.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools will be closed on Monday, the district announced Sunday morning, noting that it will “continue monitoring National Weather Service updates and keep families informed of any district or school schedule changes.”
Other area districts also announced closures.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management opened a storm shelter Saturday night at Grady Cole Recreation Center (310 N Kings Drive) in coordination with the Red Cross. The shelter is for people concerned about power outages.
Winter storm power outages across Charlotte and NC
Power outages remain a concern as the ice continues to accumulate.
Duke Energy reported around 300 homes in the Charlotte area were without electricity Sunday afternoon. Many of those homes were in the University City area, with some pockets in east and west Charlotte. But the numbers regularly fluctuated throughout the day.
Across the state, more than 28,600 homes were without power at 5:30 p.m. Sunday, including more than 11,700 people in Henderson County, ReadyNC.gov reported. Mecklenburg County had 31 homes without power as of 5:30 pm.
WCNC meteorologist Brad Panovich said people should be particularly attentive to a batch of ice and freezing rain between 4 and 8 p.m. Panovich referenced storm damage Nashville, Tennessee, and said the same line of weather could bring thunderstorms with freezing rain to the Charlotte area.
“They got absolutely clobbered, and that line of ice is heading our way,” Panovich said in a Facebook video.
With temperatures in the high teens and low 20s, Panovich said he expects heavy freezing rain this evening once the line of storms gets here.
“It could even be thunder ice, which is crazy to say. I said that earlier, and I was like ‘I can’t believe that’s even coming out of my mouth.’ But that’s what we could see,” Panovich said. “And that potential thunder ice could drop a quarter to a half an inch of ice in a few hours. So, the power threat going out is not over.”
The storm is expected to have a “crippling” result on the region, the National Weather Service says.
“Widespread power outages and extremely difficult to impossible travel conditions are expected to linger through at least the early part of the work week,” forecasters reported early Sunday.
This story was originally published January 25, 2026 at 5:08 AM.