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Downtown Saluda on Monday after Winter Storm Izzy dumped 15.5 inches of snow.

The National Guard at the Saluda Fire Department. (Photo by Saluda Fire and Rescue)

Downtown Tryon Sunday evening.

Morris the Horse Sunday evening.

The clock tower in downtown Tryon.

Lake Lanier. (Photo by Shanna Corn)

Downtown Landrum on Sunday. (Photo by the City of Landrum)

Downtown Landrum on Sunday. (Photo by the City of Landrum)

Downtown Landrum on Sunday. (Photo by the City of Landrum)

The Landrum Depot on Sunday. (Photo by the City of Landrum)

The Landrum Depot on Sunday. (Photo by the City of Landrum)

The City of Saluda received the most snow in the area at 15.5 inches

FOOTHILLS—The foothills area was hammered over the weekend with the biggest winter storm in the last 8 years. 

Winter Storm “Izzy” dumped at least 7 inches of snow in the upstate and as much as 15.5 inches of snow in Saluda. 

By Monday, secondary roads had still not been scraped and local emergency officials were asking people to not drive unless absolutely necessary. 

“Most secondary roads here in Polk County have not been scraped yet,” said a notice from the Polk County Emergency Management Department. “The NCDOT (North Carolina Department of Transportation) is working as hard as they can to get all roads cleared but interstates and primary roads are the first priority, then they will work on the secondary roads. We are still encouraging everyone if you do not have to be out please stay off the roads and give the DOT time to get them clear.” 

Temperatures did not get out of the high 30s on Monday and the low was 27 Monday night so any roads not cleared refroze. Polk County Schools were closed Monday and Tuesday already scheduled. Monday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Tuesday was a teacher workday. 

The snow began early Sunday morning, with most people waking up to several inches of snow. The snow continued throughout the day Sunday with some periods of sleet and ice in some areas. 

Saluda received more snow than other mountain towns, including Hendersonville and Asheville. Saluda’s 15.5 inches topped the area, followed by Tryon’s 9.5 inches, Mill Spring’s 8.5 inches and Landrum’s 8 inches, according to the National Weather Service. 

There were few power outages in the area, with Duke Energy only reporting 30,000 in all of western North Carolina. Duke Energy had estimated that up to 750,000 residents could lose power from the winter storm. 

The North Carolina National Guard came to assist Saluda on Sunday. There were a few incidents throughout the county with stuck vehicles and trees down. A tractor-trailer also jackknifed along Interstate 26 on Sunday, which caused delays. 

Another winter storm is predicted for Friday. 

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