Brandt Thayer bundled up and got outside to enjoy the snow from Winter Storm Izzy.
Even days after Winter Storm Izzy blew through Mitchell County, many locals were still dealing with snow and ice.
The storm cruised through the area early on Sunday, Jan. 16, dumping snow, ice and sleet on much of Mitchell County for more than 24 hours. Accumulated ice and snow, gusting winds and snow squalls made travel treacherous.
Even into the end of this past week, many parking lots and sidewalks were still slick and covered in snow. Plows and salt trucks were a common sight as area residents attempted to dig out and get back to life as regularly scheduled.
Most areas in and around Spruce Pine reported about a foot of snow with isolated reports of more. Residents living closer to Tennessee in areas like Buladean reported fewer than five inches but the consensus is most of Mitchell County saw between 8-14 inches of winter precipitation.
Mitchell County officials declared a state of emergency before the storm hit the area.
Ice and high winds caused havoc for electrical service. According to poweroutage.us, just shy of 100,000 North Carolina residents lost power during the storm.
The ice and snow made roads impassable for an extended period and a long list of Mitchell County businesses were closed on Monday, Jan. 17 and Tuesday, Jan. 18 with some opening late on Wednesday, Jan. 19 as the thawing process slowly began.
A North Carolina Highway Patrol spokesman said officials responded to about 300 car crashes and nearly 800 calls for service across the state during the storm.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom. With Mitchell County students out of school for the weather, many bundled up and got outside to enjoy the snow with some riding 4-wheelers, building snowmen or making snow angels.
Temperatures in the high 30s and low 40s late this past week, combined with periods of sunshine, helped slowly melt most of what Izzy brought to the area. Another winter storm disturbance, at one time forecast to hit the area this past weekend, sidestepped the area providing a respite from more winter precipitation, at least for now.