RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The Latest on winter weather in North Carolina (all times local):
5:30 p.m.
State officials say an 85-year-old man who died from prolonged exposure to cold is North Carolina’s second fatality from the winter storm.
Gov. Roy Cooper said in a news release Monday that the Surry County man died Monday after falling outside his home and being exposed to the cold. On Sunday, a woman died in Montgomery County when the car in which she was riding hit a tree.
Meanwhile, officials say the State Highway Patrol responded to 1,650 accidents and more than 3,600 calls for service from Friday evening through Monday morning.
Cooper said 63 of 115 school districts closed Monday while several others opened late. Power outages hit a peak of about 30,200 and had dropped to about 1,600 customers Monday.
The state of emergency that Cooper declared for the entire state expires at noon Tuesday when temperatures are expected to get above freezing.
___
1:15 p.m.
Weather forecasters are warning that bitter cold is expected in parts of North Carolina into Tuesday.
Winter weather advisories for North Carolina from the National Weather Service had expired by midday Monday. Forecasters say the extreme cold will remain Monday night into Tuesday, especially in 26 counties in the western part of the state.
The weather service says the heavy demand for electricity to keep homes warm could strain the system and cause power outages. Duke Energy, which serves much of western North Carolina, reported about 1,430 customers without service early Monday afternoon.
Officials say one person was killed Sunday in a wreck in Montgomery County.
Some schools systems have canceled classes for Tuesday, including Wake County, the state’s largest system.
Temperatures are expected to improve significantly beginning Tuesday afternoon and heading toward the weekend.
___
12:20 p.m.
For more reasons than the weather, a North Carolina man was glad to see a snowplow as he tried to get his pregnant wife to a hospital in nearby Chesapeake, Virginia, during the weekend storm.
The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk reported (https://bit.ly/2iULSr0) that Hugh Dawson of Moyock, North Carolina, headed to a hospital about 25 miles away in Virginia with his wife Stephanie about 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
As they were driving, she realized they were not going to make it to the Virginia Beach hospital they planned to use.
They then headed toward the closest hospital, Chesapeake Regional Medical Center. Their truck died on an exit ramp and Hugh flagged down a snowplow and persuaded the driver to get them to the hospital.
Brayden was born about 15 minutes after they arrived. He weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces and is doing fine.
___
7:15 a.m.
Bitter cold is gripping North Carolina after a weekend snowstorm that killed at least one person.
Temperatures ranged from zero in Reidsville and Roxboro near the Virginia state line to 29 at Cape Hatteras early Monday.
The National Weather Service had winter weather advisories in effect for 75 of the state’s 100 counties until late Monday morning. Driving conditions were dangerous across because of leftover snow and ice and cold temperatures.
Duke Energy reported more than 3,000 customers without electricity Monday morning.
Many schools and government offices were closed Monday. North Carolina State University also canceled classes.
At least one person has died because of the weather. Gov. Roy Cooper said one person was killed Sunday when a car skidded off an icy Interstate 73/74 in Montgomery County.
___
5:40 a.m.
A dog has been rescued after falling through ice into a pond in Orange County.
Local media outlets report the county sheriff’s office says someone called 911 Sunday after noticing the dog, named Petey, had fallen in the water near Mebane.
Deputies say Petey managed to find himself struggling to keep his head above water about 30-40 feet from the shore.
Arriving officials boarded a boat and ventured onto the pond, breaking a path in the ice to get to the dog.
Petey was pulled into the boat and brought back to dry land where emergency crews dried him off and warmed him up with lots of blankets.
It’s unknown exactly how long Petey was in the water. He’s resting comfortably now and is expected to make a full recovery.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.