A severe winter storm blanketed Asheville and Buncombe County with heavy snow and ice on February 17-18, leaving more than 15,000 residents without power and prompting widespread road closures, according to the Asheville Citizen-Times. Emergency services responded to multiple minor accidents as officials urged residents to avoid travel on the evening of February 18. Interstate 40 experienced multiple closures near Asheville because of ice accumulation, the Asheville Citizen-Times reported. Secon