Gov. Stein declares state of emergency before winter storm descends on NC

Mary Ramsey, The Charlotte Observer on Jan 21, 2026

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein issued a state of emergency Wednesday in advance of a winter storm forecast to wallop the state and much of the country over the weekend.

The state of emergency allows the governor’s office to initiate emergency plans, deploy emergency response teams and trigger protections against price gauging. Stein and emergency officials urged residents to prepare for power outages and poor road conditions ahead of the storm that’s expected to bring a mix of snow, sleet and ice.

“I encourage all North Carolinians to stay home and off the roads this weekend unless absolutely necessary so first responders can do their jobs safely and effectively,” Stein said.

A winter storm watch is in effect Saturday through Monday for most of North Carolina.

The storm is expected to reach the Charlotte and Raleigh areas Saturday, but forecasters remained unsure Wednesday about how much precipitation will fall and which communities would see mostly snow or mostly ice. In its winter storm watch, the National Weather Service said snow and sleet accumulations between 1 and 6 inches and ice accumulation between four-tenths and 1 inch are possible.

Forecasters predicted an icy mix for much of central North Carolina.

The State Emergency Response Team has been activated, and the state Department of Transportation is pre-treating roads, bridges and overpasses, Stein’s office said.

North Carolina Emergency Management officials encouraged North Carolinians to keep devices charged, store emergency kits in vehicles and stock up on necessities ahead of the storm’s arrival.

The governor’s office advised residents to visit ReadyNC.gov for more information and DriveNC.gov for real-time travel information.

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(Observer reporter Mark Price contributed to this story.)