Winter storm buries Southeast in snow

A winter storm blanketed five southern U.S. states with snow, sleet, and freezing rain from Saturday into Monday. Some areas in North Carolina and Virginia saw more than a foot of snow by Sunday afternoon. More than 300,000 homes and businesses were without power in the region, the majority in North Carolina. Parts of Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia also lost power.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to stay off the roads and avoid putting first responders in unnecessary danger. “Stay put if you can,” Cooper said Sunday. “Wrap a few presents, decorate the tree, watch some football.” Accidents on snowy interstates caused major delays Sunday, and more than 1,000 flights were canceled throughout the region. A dive team searched a river in Kinston, N.C., on Sunday for a missing driver after a tractor-trailer ran off the road, and police outside of Charlotte reported a driver died from a falling tree.