Winter storm creates havoc

Plateau hit with traffic accidents, power outages

  • Traffic was halted on many of the area’s roadways on Friday afternoon and evening as heavy snow blanketed Highlands and Cashiers, causing multiple vehicle accidents.
    Traffic was halted on many of the area’s roadways on Friday afternoon and evening as heavy snow blanketed Highlands and Cashiers, causing multiple vehicle accidents.
    Lake Sequoyah was completely frozen over as of Friday afternoon, but first responders were reminding the public to not go out on the ice due to it being very thin. By Sunday morning part of the lake remained frozen but there was also open water present. Barriers were put in place to keep people off the frozen portion of the lake.

    Lake Sequoyah was completely frozen over as of Friday afternoon, but first responders were reminding the public to not go out on the ice due to it being very thin. By Sunday morning part of the lake remained frozen but there was also open water present. Barriers were put in place to keep people off the frozen portion of the lake.

    A fast-moving winter storm that rolled through Highlands and Cashiers on Friday left lasting impacts as heavy snow fell across the region.
    The weather led to several traffic accidents and widespread power outages.
    The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for all of Western North Carolina on Wednesday night and continued to warn the public about possible hazardous conditions throughout the day and night on Thursday. School was canceled in both Macon and Jackson counties on Friday.
    On Friday morning the storm arrived in the form of snow flurries in the morning hours, but those flurries gave way to heavier snow in the afternoon and evening. Traffic issues hit full throat in the afternoon Friday as first responders were called to more than a dozen traffic accidents in and around Highlands and Cashiers.
    Most of the area saw anywhere from 3-5 inches of snow, and some places saw a late-developing layer of sleet. That snow and ice combination knocked power out to the entire Town of Highlands for hours into Saturday morning.
    “Duke Power lost a transmission line feeding Highlands due to a broken utility pole,” Highlands Mayor Pat Taylor said on Saturday morning. “The specialized transmission crews are on the way and will work all day to make the repair.
    Power restoration is expected this evening.” Power was restored to Town of Highlands electric customers later in the day Saturday.
    Along with the loss of power, residents also had to deal with road conditions that deteriorated for more than 24 hours from Friday morning until Saturday afternoon. With temperatures only in the 20’s (and lows in the single digits), many roads remained frozen over the entire weekend.
    “We asked the public to stay off the roads on Saturday, because we simply don’t have the manpower to work a high volume of traffic accidents,” Highlands Police Chief Andrea Holland said. “The roads were anywhere from slippery, to completely impassable.”
    Fortunately, Mother Nature took her foot off the gas on Sunday and temperatures warmed into the mid-30’s, which allowed town, county, and state road crews to better clear the main arteries into Highlands and Cashiers, and begin working on the secondary roads.