Winter storm hits Central North Carolina, bringing ice and sleet

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Last updated: Thursday, January 29, 2026 10:53AM GMT
NC Winter Storm

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Several weather alerts, including a Winter Storm Warning, remain in effect until Monday afternoon.

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Saturday night, in Central NC, moderate to heavy mixed precipitation, mainly sleet and freezing rain started falling.

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Your guide for making sure you are prepared for inclement weather as another winter storm approaches.

Most people awoke Sunday to the roads covered with the wintry mix.

Roads, especially bridges and overpasses, remain slick and hazardous.

Duke Energy had 18,000 workers staged across the Carolinas to respond to power outages.

Most school districts across central NC have already made decisions about how to handle Monday's snow day.

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Jan 27, 2026, 8:00 PM GMT

Most flight cancellations in American Airlines history

American Airlines said this was the most disruptive storm in the airline's 100-year history. American has canceled more than 9,000 flights and expects impacts to be felt for two more days.

American said 25% of its Tuesday flights are canceled. Across the U.S., more than 1,800 flights are canceled on Tuesday, with Dallas, Boston and New York hit the hardest.

Over 11,000 flights were canceled on Sunday, marking the highest day for cancellations since the pandemic, according to Cirium data.

-ABC News' Sam Sweeney

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Jan 27, 2026, 6:51 PM GMT

At least 35 dead across the US from winter storm

At least 35 deaths have been attributed to the storm nationwide, according to the Associated Press.

In Fannin County, Texas, north of Dallas, three brothers died after falling into an icy pond, officials said.

In Frisco, Texas, near Dallas, a 16-year-old girl died from a sledding accident, according to Frisco police. The victim and another girl were being pulled on a sled by a teenage boy driving a car when the sled struck a curb and then hit a tree, police said.

In the Austin area, a victim was found dead in the parking lot of an abandoned gas station from apparent hypothermia, officials said.

In Arkansas, a 17-year-old boy died after he was pulled by an ATV in the snow and struck a tree, according to the Saline County Sheriff's Office.

In Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, three people died while removing snow, the county coroner said. The victims ranged in age from 60 to 84, the coroner said, adding, "I remind the public to use caution when shovel snow ... especially individuals with a history of heart disease or other medical concerns."

Eight people died in New York City and a retired police officer died on Long Island while shoveling snow, according to New York ABC station WABC.

Another man was found dead with a shovel in his hand in Verona, New Jersey, according to local police.

In Massachusetts, a woman died after a snowplow backed into her in a parking lot, local officials said.

Deaths were also reported in Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Kansas, Ohio and South Carolina, according to officials.

Jan 27, 2026, 6:57 PM GMT

Side roads still a problem in Wake County

If you have to drive around today remain cautious because some side roads still have snow, slush, and ice on them.

While temperatures will once again head above freezing during the day, when the sun falls so will the temperatures back below freezing causing any moisture left to solidify.

NCDOT crews are still working the roads to get them cleared as quickly as possible.

However, they could once again become a winter wonderland if we get any snow this upcoming weekend.

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Jan 27, 2026, 12:48 PM GMT

220 million Americans on alert for extreme cold

Some 220 million Americans are on alert for extreme cold temperatures forecast to follow the weekend's record-breaking winter storm.

The extreme cold warnings and cold weather advisories stretch from Texas and Florida in the South to New York in the Northeast and Detroit in the Midwest.

Cold air is expected to produce another round of lake-effect snow on Tuesday for western Michigan and western New York -- an additional 8 to 16 inches of snow is possible in some areas.

Record low temperatures are possible in the South, where temperatures will feel as low as the 20s and 30s in Florida and the 20s along the Gulf Coast.

Wind chill is expected to drop into single digits on Tuesday in the Northeast, ahead of even lower temperatures later this week. Multiple days of below-zero wind chills are forecast for the Northeast from Wednesday into the weekend.

-ABC News' Melissa Griffin