The Charlotte area woke up Saturday to less than a half-inch of snow and ice from the region's first winter storm in three years.
The ice glazed over some roads, sidewalks and car windshields, and turned tree branches into glassy sculptures.
Snow flurries briefly fell over the city Friday afternoon before turning into sleet and freezing rain overnight as temperatures fell into the mid-20s.
Trisha Palmer with the National Weather Service said the deep freeze will likely thaw by Saturday afternoon.
"We do expect melting — some melting anyway — but the problem with that is Saturday night, we have temperatures dropping quite rapidly into the upper teens and near 20s. So anything the melts on Saturday will refreeze," she said.
That means black ice could still be a danger on some roads and sidewalks Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Gusty winds were also in the forecast Saturday, possibly up to 18 mph.
Duke Energy has said the ice could down some trees and power lines. As of Saturday morning, the energy company said there were less than 2,000 customers without power in the Charlotte area.
The freezing rain and snow flurries caused hundreds of flight delays and cancellations at the Charlotte Douglas International Airport. On Friday, some 205 flights were delayed and 733 flights canceled, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. As of Saturday morning, another 147 flights had been delayed and 220 flights canceled.
Classes were canceled for Charlotte-Mecklenburg School students on Friday, giving students their first snow day in years. The last time Mecklenburg County saw measurable snow was on Jan. 29, 2022.
The winter storm also brought snow and ice to other areas of the North Carolina piedmont. Greensboro received more than 2 inches accumulation, while nearby Kernersville saw about 3 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
At the Raleigh-Durham Airport, some 0.7 inches of snow and ice were reported Saturday morning. Durham saw about 1 inch.
The North Carolina mountains reported the highest snowfall totals. On Saturday morning, Boone reported 5.2 inches of accumulation, West Jefferson reported 6.5 inches, and Hendersonville reported 2.7 inches.
Zachary Turner contributed reporting.
