Storm moves out, cold temperatures could create ice concern on roads

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The winter storm of January 2026 dropped less than an inch of snow with sleet and ice coating the roads. Charlotte hasn’t seen weather like this in at least a decade.

“That’s the first time since I’ve been in Charlotte all these 50 years that the busses actually closed down on that day. So that was something else. I was glad to see not many people on the road,” Marvin Eaves, Charlotte resident said.

Hundreds of NCDOT crews plowed and salted the streets to keep them as clear as possible. In some areas, the traffic created a slushy mess.

“It’s probably going to be a multi-day event of seeing that refreezing and trying to clean up again and seeing it freeze again as we go throughout the week,” Jen Godwin with NCDOT said.

Most of the snow melted Monday, but there are some lingering slick spots. This week temperatures drop to the teens at night which increases the chance of black ice.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of car you have. You can have a truck, SUV, four wheel drive. It doesn’t matter,” Godwin said. “Ice is ice, and it’s it’s no respecter of vehicles.”

The cold weather increases the chances of pipe problems and water main breaks which could create icy conditions. Some drivers plan to still play it safe and limit travel as much as possible.

“Good about it is they got a lot of watery stuff off the roads, so just the secondary roads will probably be the worst. It’s trying to get out to the main roads,” Marvin Eaves from Charlotte said.