BOONE, N.C. -- An ice storm in the mountains brings down hundreds of trees and knocks out power to some on Christmas morning.
Nearly every main road was blocked by power lines or trees at some point, forcing many to chance their holiday plans.
Nearly an inch of ice covered tree branches in parts of Watauga County, especially along Highway 421 near Boone. That ice brought down trees all throughout the morning and early afternoon.
“It’s a mess,” said Boone native Cliff Waters. “I’ve lived here for 39 years and I’ve never seen it any worse than this.”
It was difficult to find a clear road in Watauga County Christmas day. Just as road crews sawed their way through one tree on the pavement, they received a call about another one that had just fallen.
“The limbs are falling in the roads and my neighbors have limbs all in their yards and on their porch and everything,” said Caleb Critcher who also lives near Boone.
Highways 421, 321 and dozens of side roads were at least partially blocked several times throughout the day. There were so many downed trees emergency crews lost count. They had to bring snowplows out to clear the debris from old Highway 421.
“The ice is just weighing them down. The ground’s wet and it’s just turning them over,” said firefighter David Holman while taking a break from his duties at the chain saw.
Besides blocking traffic, falling tree limbs brought down dozens of power lines, leaving hundreds in the dark Christmas morning.
“It’s been out probably a couple of hours,” said Waters.
He and his wife were supposed to cook dinner for visiting family members.
“They may have to eat deserts because the turkey can’t be roasted this morning,” Waters said.
All throughout the morning and afternoon, cracking sounds would echo from all around as yet another branch fell.
“It was really eerie,” said Critcher, “My grandfather says it sounds like a war zone.”
By mid-afternoon the sleet became rain, which melted the ice and gave utility crews a chance to catch up. It also let families get a look at the damage to the trees in their yard. With huge limbs from four trees in his yard, Edsel Hodges said he had, “A lot of cleaning up to do.”
Not exactly the white Christmas most had hoped for.
