RICHMOND COUNTY — A historic winter storm blanketed Richmond County with heavy snowfall over the weekend, disrupting schools, government operations and scheduled events across the area.
The National Weather Service described the bomb cyclone associated with Winter Storm Gianna as a “historic storm,” as much of North Carolina recorded significant snowfall. Parts of the state received nearly a foot of snow, making it one of the largest snow events in decades. Central North Carolina last experienced comparable snowfall during a blizzard Jan. 24–25, 2000, when 20 inches fell.
Winter Storm Gianna led to Richmond County Schools and Richmond Community College closing campuses and shifting students to remote learning Monday, Feb. 2, through Tuesday, Feb. 3. Several local government offices, including those in Hamlet, Rockingham, Dobbins Heights, Richmond County government and Ellerbe, also closed Monday because of the weather. Ellerbe rescheduled its monthly town meeting to Monday, Feb. 9.
The city of Rockingham’s sanitation department operated on a modified schedule due to lingering snow and ice along streets and in yards. Monday and Thursday routes will be collected one time on Thursday, while Tuesday and Friday routes will be collected one time on Friday, resulting in one garbage pickup this week. Ellerbe continued it’s trash pickup on Tuesday and Dobbins Heights announced on social media that trash collection will be postponed until road conditions improve. Offices in Hamlet, Rockingham and Ellerbe reopened Tuesday, Feb. 3, on delayed schedules.
Several events across the county were postponed as a result of the storm. NASCAR Organizational Testing at Rockingham Speedway was rescheduled for Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, and converted to a single-day test. The Richmond County Cole Auditorium postponed Cirque-tacular: Shimmer, originally scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 31.
“Additional details regarding the new date and time will be shared as soon as they become available,” read a social media post issued by the Cole Auditorium.
Although snow began melting during daylight hours, accumulation continued to linger as temperatures dropped into the low and mid-20s overnight. Officials advised residents to limit travel during the storm because of slick road conditions and the risk of black ice.
Richmond County previously experienced Winter Storm Fern, which brought widespread ice accumulation across the area.
Meteorologists say a cold front is expected to move through central North Carolina Wednesday, bringing light precipitation that is expected to fall mainly as rain, with the potential for minor accumulation closer to the North Carolina-Virginia border.