Snowstorm leads to extreme cold, closed schools, businesses, travel dangers in NC | Live Updates

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Another winter storm, known as a bomb cyclone, hit parts of Central North Carolina for the second consecutive weekend.

Several weather alerts were issued for the ABC11 viewing area, including a winter storm warning and extreme cold warning. Heavy snow fell across the Triangle and much of North Carolina.

The National Weather Service office in Raleigh warned that wind chills will drop early Monday to near zero Fahrenheit (-17 Celsius). "Snow and ice will linger, with refreezing tonight making travel hazardous," the office said Sunday on social media. "Use caution on roads and dress in warm layers."

In eastern North Carolina, James City recorded 18 inches of snow, while Swansboro recorded 17 inches, the weather service reported.

The bomb cyclone, known to meteorologists as an intense, rapidly strengthening weather system, contributed to nearly a foot of snow in and around Charlotte. The snowfall represented a top-five snow event all-time there, the NWS said.

Flight cancellations exceeded 2,800 in the U.S. on Saturday, with at least another 1,800 on Sunday, according to FlightAware, a flight tracking and data company. More than 800 of those Sunday cancellations were for flights departing from or arriving at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

The storm caused an hours-long mess on Interstate 85 northeast of the city, after a crash left dozens of semitractors and other vehicles backed up into Saturday evening, according to the State Highway Patrol. More than 1,000 traffic collisions and two road deaths were reported, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Sunday.

Last week's storm blanketed the area with ice and kept schools closed for most of the week. However, most schools had remote learning days. Business owners said they were hurt by the storm because they had to close early or couldn't open at all.

The Associated Press contributed