Winter Weather

Service Updates

Solid Waste Services plans to collect all garbage today. In the event they are unable to complete collection, garbage will be collected on a delay late tomorrow morning. Recycling collection is on a one-day delay due to the MLK Holiday and other inclement weather events. Friday recycling customers will be collected late Saturday morning. Residents are encouraged to keep their carts at the curb until they receive service.
CATS is operating on a normal weekend schedule. CATS will keep trains on the tracks after hours to keep ice from building up. Service will end at normal time, no passengers may ride trains after hours.

Transcript Winter Weather Update from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management - January 21, 2022

Good morning. I am Hannah Brown with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management and we'd like to share some updates with you as we head into possible winter weather conditions this afternoon. The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office is closely monitoring the low pressure system off the coast of North Carolina that may bring winter weather conditions to our area this afternoon. We are expecting at this point, 1 o 3 inches today with no expectation of ice. The temperatures will remain at or below freezing all day today and into tomorrow. We encourage you to continue to stay tuned to the National Weather Service for updates as the weather may shift. If travel is not necessary, we ask you to stay off the roads if possible. If you must drive, please be extremely cautious and be sure to give plenty of room to our first responders and CDOT crews as they do their work. CDOT has been preparing for these conditions all week and will be treating roads as necessary. If you have an emergency, please call 9-1-1. If you have questions about City service impacts, you may call 3-1-1. 3-1-1 will remain open through 7 p.m. today, Friday, January 21 and will reopen on Monday. The Shelter Task Force has worked with their partners to ensure that all homeless shelters will expand their capacity through Sunday, January 23. CATS buses will transport individuals free of charge through Sunday, January 23 to these shelters along existing CATS routes. As always, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management will continue to monitor our weather and our conditions int eh Charlotte-Mecklenburg area and continue to provide updates. You can stay tuned to those updates through our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Everyone have a great weekend and please stay safe. Thanks, Charlotte.

Preparing and actively responding to Winter Storm Izzy

Winter Storm Izzy is moving through the Charlotte region this weekend. Check back for updated city service impacts and winter weather safety and preparedness tips.

Service Updates

Emergency Shelters Demobilizing on Monday, Jan. 17 The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office and the American Red Cross are demobilizing the emergency shelters activated on Sunday, Jan. 16. Shelter staff at Crews Recreation Center and Hopewell High School demobilized at 7 a.m. on Monday as there were no residents at those shelter locations. Shelter crews at Mallard Creek High School and Central Piedmont will demobilize at noon on Monday.
Solid Waste Services will collect garbage, recycling and bulky waste on a one-day delay due to the MLK Holiday. Solid Waste anticipates being able to collect all Monday customers on Tuesday; however, keep your carts at the curb until they are collected. Please note that Friday customers will receive collection on Saturday.
The Revenue Counter at CMGC and the Information Counter at CMGC will open at 10 AM tomorrow.

Emergency Shelters The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management Office and partner agencies are activating emergency shelters in response to the impacts from Winter Storm Izzy. Learn more about emergency shelter in the area.
CharMeck 311 will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sun., Jan. 16 and Mon., Jan. 17 to provide customer service during the winter storm. Residents may call 311 or 704.336.7600 to report icy road conditions, nonemergency downed trees, water main breaks, trash collection questions, nonworking signal lights, register for CharMeck Alerts and other general questions about city services.
Call 911 for emergencies only i.e. life threatening issues including trees in the roadway.
CATS public transportation delays, detours and cancellations can be found Here Cats Alerts
American Airlines and other airlines operating from Charlotte-Douglas International have proactively begun cancelling flights, please check your flight status if you have upcoming travel plans.
Reporting Downed Trees

For any downed tree, limb and other EMERGENCY tree situations, please CALL 911 immediately. If a tree or part of a tree has fallen and is obstructing or completely blocking a street, CALL 911 immediately.
For non-emergency public tree issues, use this form to report damage to a tree, report a hanging tree limb or request a tree health/condition assessment. Please enter the street location and include a house number. You may also use the CLT+ app or call 311 (704.336.7600 if calling from outside Mecklenburg County).

Before reporting a non-emergency downed tree, please view the live map of trees that have already been reported. This will help prevent the same tree being reported multiple times.

Landscape Management's first priority during storm response is to clear roads of debris to provide, at minimum, single-lane access for first responders along major thoroughfares and at priority sites such as hospitals, police stations, fire stations and MEDIC stations. Once these areas are cleared, Landscape Management will focus on clearing single-lane access on secondary roads and all-lane access for non-emergency vehicles. This includes driveways, sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.

Stay off the road unless necessary.
Be prepared for power outages – keep phones and devices charged, charge back up batteries as well.
If you lose power, make sure to keep generators at least 20 feet from your home, never use indoors. Do not use charcoal grills or other alternative sources for heat. Use kerosene heaters, space heaters and candles with caution and never leave them unattended.

City of Charlotte administrative offices will open at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 21 due to the winter weather. Members of the public who are planning to visit the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center on Friday are advised to adjust their plans in light of the 10 a.m. opening.

Winter weather tips

Preparing and actively responding to Winter Storm Diego

Winter Storm Diego moved through the Charlotte region this weekend. Check back for updated city service impacts and winter weather safety and preparedness tips.

Service Updates

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center will open to the public Tuesday at 10 a.m. City Council committee meetings will continue as scheduled.

The storm has moved out, but refreezing of precipitation on roadways is possible.

Solid Waste Services will operate on a two-hour delay tomorrow, Tuesday, December 11. We are asking residents to put their garbage and recycling carts at the curb and leave them there until collected. Residents who have scheduled bulky items for collection this week should also put those curbside for collection. Yard waste collection is suspended this week. For Solid Waste collection updates delivered directly to your phone, please text CLTSWS to 245-87.

The only remaining major road blocked by downed trees is the 8500 block of Harrisburg Road.

Service Updates

City of Charlotte offices will be CLOSED on Monday, Dec. 10. City Council committee and business meetings are canceled and will be postponed to a later date.

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center will open to the public Monday at 10 a.m., with the City Council committee and business meetings continuing as scheduled.
While some areas of Charlotte may experience precipitation this morning, road temperatures aren't expected to fall below freezing today.
Total accumulation from Winter Storm Diego varied greatly by location: areas north of Uptown were hit harder than areas south of Uptown.
Because of road conditions on secondary roads, Solid Waste Services will not operate Monday. The community can receive service updates by texting CLTSWS to 245-87.
The LYNX Blue Line is operating on a normal schedule today, while service on the Gold Line (streetcar) remains suspended.
City tree crews received additional calls for service overnight, with 12 major roads now blocked:

Carmel and Colony (use Quail Hollow Road, Sharon View Road as alternate routes)
3000 block of McKee Road (use Tilley Morris Road as an alternate route)
Nations Ford Road and Deanna Lane (use Old Pineville Road and South Tryon Road as alternate routes)
2400 block of Oaklawn Avenue (use Atando Avenue as an alternate route)
8200 block of Park Road (use Quail Hollow and South Boulevard as alternate routes)
Plaza Road Extension and WT Harris Boulevard (use Rocky River, Grier Road and Milton Road as alternate routes)
Providence Road at Colonial (use Queens Road and Kings Drive as alternate routes)
2600 block of Providence Road (use Sharon Road and Randolph Road as alternate routes)
South Wendover Road and South Canterbury Road (use Sharon Amity as an alternate route)
Sharon and Colony (use Fairview Road, Providence Road and Park Road as alternate routes)
Ideal Way and South Boulevard (use East Boulevard and Scaleybark as alternate routes)
700 block of Eastway (use Sugar Creek Road as an alternate route)

Specific hazard information - Winter weather advisory

A Winter Weather Advisory is issued when wintry weather is expected. Light amounts of wintry precipitation or patchy blowing snow will cause slick conditions and could affect travel if precautions are not taken. Exercise caution.

Prepare yourself, your family, and your neighbors:

To begin preparing, you should build an emergency kit and make a family communications plan.
Make sure you have a cell phone with an emergency charging option (car, solar, hand crank, etc.) in case of a power failure.
For those who depend on electricity to operate medical equipment, make alternate arrangements in case of power outage for an extended period of time.
Plan to check on elderly/disabled relatives and neighbors.
Plan to bring pets inside.
Know where the manual release lever of your electric garage door opener is located and how to operate it in case you lose power.
Fill a gallon container with water and place them in your freezer to help keep food cold.

Prepare your home:

Make sure your home is well insulated and that you have weather stripping around your doors and window sills to keep warm air inside.
Make sure you have a working carbon monoxide detector.
Keep fire extinguishers on hand, and make sure everyone in your house knows how to use them. House fires pose an additional risk during cold weather! More people turn to alternate heating sources without taking the necessary precautions.
Learn how to shut off water valves in case pipes burst.

Prepare your vehicles:

Fully winterize your vehicle. Have a mechanic check antifreeze, brakes, heater and defroster, tires, and windshield wipers to ensure they are in good shape. Keep your gas tank at least half full.
Keep an extra emergency kit specifically created for your car. Include the basic essentials along with a portable cell phone charger, ice scraper, extra blanket, sand for traction, and jumper cables.

Driving in Winter Weather:

If you must travel, the North Carolina Highway Patrol gives the warnings below:

Reduce your speed. Driving at the regular speed limit will lower your chances to control the car if you begin to slide.
Leave plenty of room between you and other vehicles.
Bridges and overpasses collect ice first. Approach them with a lot of caution. Do not push your brakes while on the bridge.
If you do begin to slide, take your foot off the gas. Turn the steering wheel IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SLIDE. Do NOT push the brakes as that will cause further loss of control of the car.

If you become trapped in your car:

Pull off the highway. Stay calm and stay inside your vehicle. At night, turn on the inside dome light, so work and rescue crews can see you.
Set your directional lights to “flashing” and hang a cloth or distress flag from the radio aerial or window.
In a rural or wilderness area, put a large cloth over the snow to get rescue crews who may be looking at the area by airplane to see you.
Do not go out on foot unless you can see a building close by where you know you can take shelter.
If you run the engine to keep warm, open a window a little bit for air. This will keep you safe from possible carbon monoxide poisoning. When you can, clear away snow from the exhaust pipe.
Exercise to keep body heat, but try not to do too much. In extreme cold, use road maps, seat covers, and floor mats for insulation. Huddle with passengers and use your coat as a blanket.
Never let everyone in the car sleep at once. One person should stay awake to look for rescue crews.
Be careful not to use battery power. Balance electrical energy needs – the use of lights, heat, and radio – with your supply.

Cold Related Illness

Frostbite is a serious condition that’s caused by exposure to extremely cold temperatures.

Signs include:

A white or grayish-yellow skin area
Skin that feels unusually firm or waxy
Numbness

If you detect symptoms of frostbite, seek medical care.

Hypothermia, or abnormally low body temperature, is a dangerous condition that can occur when a person is exposed to extremely cold temperatures.

Hypothermia is caused by prolonged exposure to very cold temperatures. When exposed to cold temperatures, your body begins to lose heat faster than it’s produced. Lengthy exposures will eventually use up your body’s stored energy, which leads to lower body temperature.

Warning signs include:

Adults: shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands, memory loss, slurred speech, and drowsiness.
Infants: bright red, cold skin, very low energy.

If you notice any signs, take the person’s temperature. If it is below 95ᵒF, the situation is an emergency – get medical attention immediately.

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