Updated 01/30/2005 01:43 PM

Wintry storm leaves snow in N.C. west, slick roads in central state

By: Associated Press

(RALEIGH) - Roads remained slick throughout two-thirds of North Carolina Sunday morning after several inches of snow, sleet and freezing rain fell across the western and central portions of the state Saturday.

Dozens of accidents were reported around the state, but none involving major injuries, authorities said.

Storm warnings were allowed to expire Sunday morning while scattered flurries and some sleet were forecast for portions of the Piedmont and mountains.

"Right now it's just patchy, left over dense fog" in the mountains and southern Piedmont, said forecaster Wayne Jones with the National Weather Service.

Crews from Duke Power were working to restore service to about 9,000 customers Sunday morning. The utility said the hardest hit areas were Cabarrus and Alamance counties. Progress Energy reported scattered outages in the Triangle, though not all of them weather-related, a spokesman said.

Seven inches of snow fell Saturday in parts of Avery and Mitchell counties, while other mountain counties got 2 to 4 inches. The Piedmont saw 1 to 2 inches of accumulation, mainly sleet and some snow.

"They certainly had significant weather," Jones said, adding that an inch of sleet is equivalent to 4 inches of snow on roadways.

Those conditions led to several accidents in Charlotte on Saturday.

The intersection of Interstates 485 and 77 was closed in the evening after an eight-vehicle accident blamed on the slippery road.

An 18-wheeler collided with a motor home on Interstate 77 South near the South Carolina state line, closing off the highway's southbound lanes.

Also, eight riders of a Charlotte city bus went to the hospital with minor injuries Saturday night after the bus went out of control downtown and hit a building and a tree, police said.

Charlotte's fire department lost two expensive ladder trucks when they were rear-ended at accidents.

Dozens of US Airways flights out of Charlotte and Raleigh were canceled.

Amtrak rail service was also canceled for Sunday morning from Raleigh to Charlotte.

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