Much of North Carolina endured power outages and dangerous road conditions during the Jan. 24-25, 2026, ice storm. There were hundreds of crashes reported across the state but few reports of serious injuries.
Now that the wintry precipitation is over, the focus turns to lingering ice on roads and a deep freeze set to arrive Monday night. A cold weather advisory is in effect from 7 p.m. Monday through 10 a.m. Tuesday due to lows in the single digits and teens. Wind chills could drop below that.
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As of 10 a.m. on Monday, 15,000 customers across North Carolina were without power. That's an improvement from 20,000 at 6 a.m. and over 31,000 on Sunday, during the height of the storm.
A little snow, a lot of ice
Sleet and freezing rain begin to fall late Saturday, Jan. 24, into Jan. 25, leaving a light layer of snow and a dangerous layer of ice on the ground.
Your photos from the ice storm
There was just enough snow on Sunday for some kids to go sledding and build small snowmen.
We're lucky a lot of us saw more sleet than freezing rain, which is why power outages were not as widespread as originally predicted, WRAL meteorologist Elizabeth Gardner explained.
Universities and public school systems canceled classes for Monday or opted for remote learning.
The storm impacted hundreds of flights at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and thousands more across the country.
Lucy Martinez, who is from Miami and visiting family in North Carolina, said this was her first time seeing snow. She said her flight home has been cancelled twice.
"We were supposed to leave yesterday," she said. "That flight got canceled. We were able to rebook for this morning. Then, we were on our way here and we got notified that our flight was canceled again. Originally, we had a direct flight home. Now, everything has a layover."
Since the storm occured over a weekend, many people stayed home. While hundreds of crashes were reported Saturday, there were only a few reports of serious accidents.
By Sunday night, the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said troopers had responded to 600 crashes and received nearly 1,300 total calls for service since the start of the storm.
According to the city, the Raleigh Police Department only responded to five calls for car crashes within city of Raleigh limits from midnight Sunday to 10 a.m. on Monday. There were no reports of fallen trees and limbs.
"We really were fortunate with the timing of this storm," said Sgt. Christopher Knox with the State Highway Patrol.
Icy roads lingered on Monday following the storm, but melting and sunshine should help improve secondary roads.
Problems at RDU
Crews are working hard to get flights off the ground on Monday at RDU International Airport.
Over the weekend, there were hundreds of cancellations because of the winter weather. Crews worked to clear the runways and pour brine along the roads leading to the airport to keep operations running as smoothly as possible.
However, the scale of the massive winter storm and its grip across large swaths of the country meant there were still bumps in the road.
On Monday, dozens of flights were canceled and others were delayed as of 11 a.m.
Ice storm highlights: Jan. 24-25, 2026
On Sunday people took the advice of weather and government officials to stay off the roads. Interstate 40 looked like a ghost town as people avoided being on the icy highway.
Even though it wasn't safe to drive, some people were letting off steam by walking to some snowy hills and getting their fun in with this thin layer of snow that N.C. rarely sees. WRAL report Caroline Yaffa joined in on the fun when she outpaced a group of NC State students in a sled race.
The National Weather Service reported snowfall totals in Chapel Hill of 0.5 inches and 0.3 inches in Clayton and Pittsboro. Raleigh saw about 0.4 inches and Wake Forest saw about 0.7 inches.
Measured ice reports were above .10 inches in Falls Lake, Schley, Benson and Hope Mills.
While it wasn't enough to build a full-size snowman, it was enough to create a snow angel in Raleigh. WRAL reporter Caroline Yaffa demonstrates.
Monks pass through Raleigh during ice storm
On Saturday, before the storm, thousands were in downtown Raleigh walking alongside the "Walk For Peace" Buddhist monks as they made their way through Dix Park toward the State Capitol.
Many were bearing the mid-20 degree temperatures to catch a glimpse and to hopefully hear the venerable monks speak.
By 9:30 a.m., the monks were less than 10 miles from the WRAL News station on their way to Greg Poole Jr. All Faiths Chapel on Richardson Drive for Lunch.
WRAL anchor Ashley Rowe brought her daughter to catch a glimpse of the monks walking on Tryon Road. She said it was important for her 4-year-old to see this monumental walk as they've been following their journey in the weeks leading up to their arrival in Raleigh.
"It was a magical moment," Rowe said on air. "They passed us pretty quickly, but it was so lovely to see them smiling back at people who clearly adore them." Her daughter was even able to receive a flower from the monks as they walked past Rowe's car.
By 11:30 a.m., the monks made their way onto Centennial Parkway, walking behind the WRAL News station. Not only were many gathering along the sides, but dozens were trailing behind the monks, walking in solidarity. Along the road, people could be seen bowing, kneeling on the ground, waving and placing their hands together in prayer. Many were heard telling each other, even as strangers, that this was a great day and moment for peace.
By the time the monks ended lunch and were preparing to walk to the State Capitol, hundreds quickly turned into thousands as people lined the streets of downtown and waited near the Capitol for their arrival. People were kneeling, and some were seen crying just from catching a glimpse.
When they arrived, the monks were greeted with gifts and smiles not only from residents and visitors from across the country, but also from Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell, Governor Josh Stein and Raleigh Police Chief Rico Boyce, who gifted the Venerable Bhikkhu Pannakara with a Raleigh police badge to add to his growing collection of badges and pins gifted to the monks during their months-long journey.