SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Residents in southeastern North Carolina awoke to a white blanket of snow Sunday, as Winter Storm Gianna passed through the region overnight.
Snowbanding brought varying degrees of wintry accumulation in the tri-county region, as anticipated by the National Weather Service in Wilmington. In Pender County, from Hampstead to Surf City, upward of a foot of snow fell, also mimicked in some beach towns in Brunswick County, such as Ocean Isle. Southport received around 9 inches, while Oak Island reported around 8 and Bald Head Island, 7.
READ MORE: School closures, other cancellations and more due to impending winter storm
In Wilmington, the NWS has tracked almost 6 inches at the airport, though totals vary from place to place countywide. Some residents near Gordon Road and Northchase have reported 8 inches, while downtown citizens have measured 5 inches. Snow drifts of up to a foot also accumulated in different parts of the region.
NWS Wilmington has ranked the weekend storm number 13th in snow events for Wilmington:
- 12/24/1989 (15.3”)
- 2/11/1973 (12.5”)
- 2/18/1896 (12.1”)
- 2/11/1912 (9.8”)
- 2/26/1901 (9.0”)
- 1/15/1912 (8.6”)
- 2/25/1942 (8.0”)
- 12/21/1915 (7.5”)
- 3/3/1980 (6.6”)
- 1/30/1936 (6.5”)
- 3/12/1960 (6.2”)
- 12/15/1943 (6.0”)
- 2/1/2026 (5.8”)
Though the snowfall has ceased, City of Wilmington spokesperson Amy Willis urged motorists to remain off the roads unless “absolutely necessary,” to allow its public works crews to safely clear city-maintained streets. The city is prioritizing public safety facilities first — hospital, fire stations, police department, etc. — and will tackle arterial and collector streets once major ones are cleared.
Around 1 p.m., MLK Parkway from Kerr Avenue to Third Street remained closed to traffic, Willis noted.
North Carolina Department of Transportation also has crews working on major corridors it oversees, such as I-40, I-140, U.S. 421, U.S. 74/76, U.S. 117, U.S. 17 and NC 133. Governor Stein noted Sunday morning that crews had spread more than 15,000 tons of salt and have over 2,500 NCDOT employees and contract workers operating spreaders and plows across the state.
Locals flocked to the area’s most hilly locations to frolic in the powder. Brunswick County Sheriff Brian Chism captured a video of one local snowboarding near an overpass Sunday morning.
Though snowfall has ceased, wind gusts may continue in the storm’s wake and wind chill temperatures will drop again this evening into the single digits and remain freezing through Tuesday. This may cause any remaining snow to ice and create more danger to the roadways.
By Sunday morning, the Brunswick County Sheriff’s office had been continuously posting the area’s bridges, such as the Odell Williamson Bridge at Ocean Isle, and streets that were frozen. The office put forth a similar refrain to its followers: “Stay home, stay warm, stay safe. Stay off the roads; it helps keep first responders safe.”
Brunswick County issued its official state of emergency on Saturday at 4 p.m., which allows the sheriff’s office to open and close roadways where necessary and in the best interest to public safety. The county offices will remain closed Monday, Feb. 2, and the commissioner meeting has been canceled.
New Hanover County also noted its operations and facilities will remain closed on Monday. Feb. 2, as will Pender County.
In addition, the City of Wilmington, Southport, Oak Island and Leland announced offices, parks and facilities will close Monday.
Southport spokesperson ChyAnn Ketchum noted roadways, overpasses and bridges in the small coastal town were impassable and dangerous.
“The combination of deep snow and sustained cold temperatures presents a serious risk to public safety and emergency response operations,” she wrote, compelling motorists to stay home.
However, in the spirit of the snow day, Southport Police Department closed off Bay Street to allow sledders a chance to go for a whirl.
Bald Head Island suspended ferry service for Sunday, Feb. 1, and will close its barge offices on Monday, Feb. 2. The Village of Bald Head also reminded residents power outages are possible due to extra demand on the grid.
As of 1 p.m. there were 140 outages in the tri-county region, according to Duke Power’s outage map. Brunswick Electric Membership reported around 442 outages, while Four County Electric reported only a handful in Pender County by the afternoon.
Because the storm has reached so many Duke Energy customers statewide, from the mountains to the coast, the power company has asked customers to reduce its usage between the hours of 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 2. This will alleviate strain on the power grid to potentially prevent temporary outages.
Duke Energy suggests:
- Reduce the thermostat to the lowest comfortable setting.
- Avoid using major appliances — washing machines, clothes dryers and dishwashers — between these hours
- Turn off unnecessary devices, unused plug-ins and lights.
- Electric vehicle owners: Charge midday, when demand is lower
“We are taking every step to meet our customers’ energy needs, including maximizing our generation and purchasing power and working with large commercial and industrial customers who have demand response programs,” Gerald Wilson, Duke Energy vice president of grid operations, said in a press release. “We appreciate our customers’ cooperation, patience and understanding as we work to maintain reliable service across the Carolinas.”
Brunswick Electric and Four County also asked for its customers to be cautious of use, as energy demand is expected to peak Monday morning. It’s asking customers to conserve energy between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. by avoiding large appliance use, turning off lights and not charging an EV.
“The small steps you can take at home, like lowering your thermostat and delaying the use of appliances, have a big impact when multiplied across the thousands of members we serve,” Brookes Versaggi, Brunswick Electric manager of member engagement, said in a release, which also noted premeditated actions will help mitigate more extreme measures.
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