CAROLINA TROPHIES “Awards for All Occasions” 12/31/26
704-482-2392
Volume 138 • Issue 4
Wednesday, January 28, 2026
www.carolinatrophies.com
kmherald.com • 704-484-1047
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No snow but plenty of ice hits KM and surrounding area By Alan Hodge
Seth, Timothy and Khloe having fun sledding. (Photos provided) showing radar maps with where the storm was hitting and how hard. On Sunday the ice fell in fits and spurts. It was nowhere near as much as the storm of 2002 that paralyzed our region for a week. Late Sunday afternoon, around six o’clock, the show was over. Total accumulations were about an inch of sleet and half an inch of ice. Monday dawned brightly sunny and cold, but the temperature quickly rose above freezing and by noon many main roads were clear with a few icy spots in the shade. Backroads were still slick. Schools and many businesses were closed. After a cold start, Tuesday’s sunshine dried out nearly all streets. During the storm, Duke Energy’s online outage map showed scattered results in our area. Kings Mountain proper had just a few places without juice. The Light Oak area near Shelby had a considerable number of outages. Other places that took a minor hit included Crouse and Lowell in Gaston County. New Camp Creek Church Rd. in Crews got everyKings Mountain was covered with one back up in sleet and ice. record time. (Photo provided) This coming
Jack and Stevie Lee having fun in the snow! (Photo provided)
Given the fact that the ground was dry and temperatures did not get out of the 20s, the ice stuck like glue and by dark the ground was white. Everyone held their breath regarding the possibility of electrical outages. Duke Energy had rounded up over 10,000 linemen and equipment from places as far away as Canada in case lines came down from falling tree limbs or ice accumulation. Television weather broadcasters were in their element constantly
The NCDOT was out late last week brining and salting area roads in advance of the ice storm. (Photo by DOT)
Duke Energy called up thousands of line workers from surrounding states and Canada to help our region during the ice storm. (Photo by DOT) weekend there’s a chancejust chance mind you- of snow. Early forecasts say about a 30 percent chance. The City of Kings Mountain wants folks to be ready and has put out the following tips on its Facebook page- https://www. facebook.com/cityofkingsmountain • City of Kings Mountain Electric and/or Water customers should call
(704) 734-0333 • City of Kings Mountain Severe Road Conditions should call (704)-734-0444 • Duke Energy Electric customers should call (800)-769-3766 • Rutherford Electric Membership Corporation customers should call (800)-228-5331 • To report a possible natural gas leak, please
WE WILL BUY YOUR CAR TODAY!
evacuate the area and call 911 Be sure to follow the city website at www.cityofkm.com and Facebook page, where updates will be made when available. Duke Energy also sent out bulletin warning folks about after-storm scammers. It’s on the City of Kings Mountain Facebook page. See STORM, Page 2A
565 Oak Street, Forest City, NC
828-245-1626 www.legendaryford.com
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This past weekend’s winter storm failed to deliver much snow, but there was enough ice to make things interesting. Weather forecasters started warning folks about the approaching storm late last week with predictions of wintry precipitation totals of several inches of sleet and over half an inch of ice. The predictions included possible widespread power outages and advice to stock up on rations, bottled water, blankets, lanterns, propane, kerosene, and all the usual stuff. Weather maps showed the massive storm spread across the southeast, fed by large amounts of moisture from the Gulf region and arctic air from the Great Lakes- the classic Carolina wintertime catastrophe casserole. Friday and Saturday saw food stores mobbed and stripped of water, bread, milk and other staples. Bags of de-ice pellets were snapped up as soon as they appeared. The gold standard- electrical generators- flew out of home improvement and hardware stores. The NCDOT and local governments brined, salted, and sanded roads and bridges. The ice started falling late Saturday afternoon.