Overview
- North Carolina officials said the mostly ice-focused storm is expected from late Saturday through Monday, with hazardous travel and power outages possibly lasting for days.
- Gov. Henry McMaster’s Executive Order 2026-02 activated South Carolina’s emergency plan, enabling National Guard activation and temporarily waiving some transport rules to speed emergency supplies.
- North Carolina reported extensive pre-storm road work, applying about 202.8 million gallons of brine and staging 160,000 tons of salt as crews shift to clearing operations.
- The National Weather Service issued Winter Storm and Ice Storm warnings across parts of both states, with Upstate South Carolina forecast to see up to an inch of ice in spots and central North Carolina facing roughly a half-inch of ice plus sleet and snow.
- North Carolina activated its State Emergency Response Team, pre-positioned about 430 National Guard personnel with 170 vehicles, shipped food and water for shelters, deployed radio caches, and authorized immediate towing to keep roads clear.