Winter storm halts some Triangle mail delivery. Where are the USPS updates?

Louise Specht wanted to know that the U.S. Postal Service knew it wasn’t delivering her mail. A retiree with a curbside mailbox outside her West Durham house, Specht said neither she nor several neighbors received mail from Saturday through Thursday after sleet and freezing rain swept across the Triangle.

“That’s completely understandable that the mail would be screwed up,” she said. However, Specht desired updates during the disruption. She contacted her local post office but got no response. Then on Thursday, before her delivery resumed, she emailed U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee’s office urging more Postal Service communication.

“Medications and other vital things are routinely delivered through the mail,” Specht wrote.

Ahead of more wintry weather expected this weekend, local residents may be curious to know how the federal agency famous for being deterred by “neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night” actually handles inclement conditions.

“The Postal Service’s goal is to deliver the mail, but safety remains our top priority,” Postal Service spokesperson Philip Bogenberger wrote in an email. “Most Post Offices in North Carolina have resumed operations, but some routes remain impacted by (last weekend’s storm).”

The decision to adjust service due to safety concerns, Bogenberger wrote, is left to local managers and individual carriers. On Jan. 29, the Postal Service updated a general winter weather service alert on its website. The agency does not show impacted individual routes.

“Customers should be aware that mail destined to and arriving from areas that were heavily impacted by the recent storm may take extra time due to conditions in those areas,” he added. “Following inclement weather, we ask customers to clear snow, ice and debris away from their mailbox and front porch so delivery can take place safely.”

The Postal Service says North Carolina residents can follow longer-term service disruptions, like permanent office closures or temporary closures after natural disasters, on its website. Customers can also track the delivery status of packages online.

FedEx and UPS both post service alerts on their respective websites as well. “We have activated contingency plans to mitigate impacts of winter storms across the United States,” FedEx spokesperson James Anderson emailed.

The U.S. Postal Service says it handles 44% of the world’s mail volume, with more than 235,000 delivery routes nationwide.

This story was originally published January 30, 2026 at 3:00 PM.