Two people were killed by a weekend snowstorm that unleashed record-setting snowfall on North Carolina and freezing temperatures on Florida.
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein reported over 1,000 collisions across the state over the weekend, which resulted in two fatalities. Stein did not share any details about the victims.
State officials advised residents to stay off the roads if they can.
"Please be patient and please stay off the roads unless it's absolutely necessary," North Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Daniel Johnson said. "If you do have to drive, slow down and give other cars, our teams and other first responders lots of distance."
Residents of North Carolina woke up Sunday to record-setting snowfall, with some areas reporting over 20 inches of accumulation. Snowfall totals across the state include 22.5 inches in Faust, 16 inches in Lexington, and 11 inches in Charlotte, marking the fourth greatest single-day snowfall and biggest snow event since 2004. Northeastern and coastal communities were hit particularly hard, according to the NCDOT.
Stein warned that in addition to snow, black ice will also be a risk throughout the week due to below-freezing overnight temperatures.
"Today is a special day for North Carolina because we just don't get snow like this very often. So, have fun, stay off the roads and stay safe," Stein said.
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This weather system is currently located off the East Coast, strengthening as it moves to the north.
On Sunday morning, light snow is falling over parts of eastern Massachusetts. A dusting of up to 2 inches will be possible along Cape Cod through early Monday morning.
The main issue from this system will be intense wind gusts that will linger over the next day. Gusts up to 50 to 60 mph will be possible, especially along the coast. These strong wind gusts could lead to 2 to 4 feet of inundation along the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and 1 to 2 feet near Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Over 160,000 utility customers across the south are without power Sunday morning, including 56,600 in Mississippi, 44,100 in Tennessee and 25,990 in Florida.
February chill
Numerous record lows were set Sunday morning across the Southeast, specifically in Florida where Sanford, Melbourne, and Daytona Beach set both daily and February record lows.
Around 60 million remain under cold weather alerts through the afternoon. Sunday's high temperatures will stay 10 to 25 degrees below average, primarily across the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida where temperatures will stay in the 30s to 50s.
Windy conditions due to the strong coastal low will bring significantly cold wind chills throughout the eastern half of the country. It will feel like the temperatures are in the teens across much of the Upper Midwest, Great Lakes and East Coast, with single digits to below zero along the Interior Northeast.
On Sunday night, low temperatures will dip to the single digits and below zero for much of the Midwest and Northeast, with teens and 20s as far south as the Gulf Coast. Dozens of record lows will be threatened again Monday morning, including in Daytona Beach, Key West, Gainesville and Miami, Florida; Wilmington and Charlotte, North Carolina; and Columbia and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
