Snow Disrupts Power, Travel in Central Appalachians

Up to 4 feet of snow left thousands of people without power Wednesday in the central Appalachians and highways were clogged by ice, snow and stranded cars and trucks.

States of emergency were declared in West Virginia, North Carolina and Virginia, and National Guard troops helped people dig out in those states and eastern Kentucky.

“Since I can remember, I’ve never seen it like this. And I’ve lived here my whole life,” said Wanda Sturgill, 49, of Beckley.

Beckley had up to 32 inches of snow on the ground Wednesday and nearby Ghent had 42, the National Weather Service said. Just 60 miles away, and at an elevation 1,800 feet lower, Charleston only got rain.

“We’ll probably just stay in today,” said Lanell Spencer of Beckley. “We don’t have much choice.”

Mountainous areas of northeast Tennessee got up to 4 feet from the storm, which started Tuesday and had largely turned to rain along the coast Wednesday.

North Carolina National Guard troops had to rescue 500 motorists who were snowbound beginning Tuesday along Interstate 40 in western North Carolina, and some travelers had to spend the entire night in their vehicles because no one could reach them.

The highway, which connects the state to Tennessee, didn’t reopen until Wednesday afternoon.

Nearly 2 feet of snow fell in parts of southwestern Virginia, while the rest of the state saw heavy rain and some flooding.