Looking Back at the Cold Winter

Here are a few interesting facts from winter (December-February) provided by the National Weather Service Offices in Raleigh and Wilmington.

Raleigh-Durham

• 6th coldest winter on record for RDU. Records for RDU go back to 1944.
• Coldest winter since 1978.
• There were 9 days with snowfall. The average snowfall days for RDU during a winter is 3.

Wilmington

• 10th coldest winter on record in Wilmington. Records go back 136 years for Wilmington.
• Low temperatures in January and February averaged below 32. That is only the 5th time that has happened.
• There were 54 days between December 1 and February 28 when then temperature was 55 degrees or lower. 55 is the coldest average high temperature during winter for Wilmington.
• There were 48 days when Wilmington had a low temperature below freezing. That is the 8th greatest number of below freezing lows on record. Wilmington's first freezing temperature this winter was on December 12, which was the 8th latest date for a first freeze!
• 3.8" of snow fell in Wilmington this winter on February 12-13. That is the most snow since January 25-26 when 5.0" of snow was recorded in Wilmington.

Snow Totals from March 2-3, 2010

• Dunn: 4.5"
• Erwin: 4.0"
• Mount Olive: 4.0"
• Newton Grove: 4.0"
• Rural Hall: 4.0"
• Seagrove: 4.0"
• Apex: 3.0"
• Davidson: 3.0"
• Greensboro: 3.0"
• Holly Springs: 3.0"
• Siler City: 3.0"
• Troy: 3.0"
• Warsaw: 3.0"
• Lexington: 2.5"
• Angier: 2.0"
• Carthage: 2.0"
• Goldsboro: 2.0"
• Graham: 2.0"
• Southern Pines: 2.0"
• Stedman: 2.0"
• Wilson: 2.0"
• Winston-Salem: 2.0"
• Durham: 1.5"
• Hillsborough: 1.0"
• Raleigh: 1.0"
• RDU Airport: 0.8"
• Louisburg: 0.5"
• Oxford: 0.5"
• Trenton: 0.5"
• Charlotte: 0.4" (Airport)
• Laurinburg: Trace
• Hednerson: Trace
• Raeford: Trace
• Rockingham: Trace
• Wadesboro: Trace
• Warrenton: Trace

Quick Tuesday Afternoon Update

Computer models this afternoon indicate somewhat higher snow totals will be possible overnight. We may see accumulations closer to 2-4" on average across the Triangle to Goldsboro and Wilson with some 4-5" totals from east Raleigh to the east and northeast. These accumulations will be mainly on grassy surfaces. Some light snow and slush may build up on some roads late tonight into early Wednesday morning. For locations south of a line from Wake County to Goldsboro, look for a dusting to 2 inches.

These totals may still need to be adjusted based on radar trends into the night. You'll find the latest forecast through the night every 10 minutes on News 14 Carolina.

Lee Ringer
Meteorologist
News 14 Carolina

Update on Chance for Snow Tonight into Early Wednesday

Low pressure tracking off the Carolina coast is spreading rain across the Carolinas this morning. The precipitation around the Triangle, Sandhills, and coast should stay all rain through the afternoon. As temperatures drop this evening, the rain should begin to mix with and change to snow across parts of the Triangle and Sandhills. Coastal areas will remain rain through the night but may see some light snow as the precipitation tapers off early Wednesday morning.

An accumulation forecast remains difficult with this storm. Ground temperatures will remain just above freezing into the night. Because of that, light snow will not accumulate. However, moderate to heavy snow should begin to build up on grassy surfaces. This may mean some neighborhoods see no accumulation to other areas seeing an inch or two.

Here's the latest thinking on any accumulation by Wednesday morning...

Triangle: Locations around Chapel Hill to Durham to west Raleigh should see an inch or two of wet snow on grassy surfaces. Most roads will be wet, but some roads not frequently traveled may accumulate some slush. From east Raleigh to the east-northeast including northern Johnston, Franklin, Wilson, and Warren Counties. accumulations around two inches are possible but a few pockets of up to 4 inches will be possible where heavy snow falls. These areas may also see slush on roads early Wednesday.

Sandhills: Locations around the Sandhills including Fayetteville to Goldsboro can expect a trace of snow (no accumulation) up to an inch of slushy snow. Most roads will just be wet.

Coast: Locations along the immediate coast will see up to an inch or rain or slightly higher. No snow is expected along the immediate coast, but some inland areas may see light snow mix in with the rain very early Wednesday morning. Little to no accumulation is expected except perhaps a dusting in parts of Bladen and Duplin Counties. Coastal areas will also deal with strong winds tonight into Wednesday. Gale Warnings are in effect off the coast.

Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina and news14.com for updates through the day and night.

Monday Morning Update on Chance for Snow Tuesday into Wednesday

Low pressure tracking along the Gulf coast late today will track off the Carolina coast by late Tuesday. That will spread rain and snow into the state Tuesday.

For the Triangle and Sandhills, we expect the precipitation to move in Tuesday morning through midday as light rain. The rain should pick up at times through the afternoon. During the day, it will be possible for the rain to mix with snow at times, but we do not anticipate accumulation during the day. Look for the rain or rain/snow mix to change to mostly snow by late afternoon or evening. Temperatures into the night will hover just above freezing keeping accumulations mainly on grassy and elevated surfaces. Snow showers may continue through daybreak Wednesday morning with the temperature briefly dropping to or just below freezing. Based on this latest thinking, we expect between a dusting to 2 inches of wet snow accumulation. A band of heavier precipitation may set up just east-northeast of Raleigh and could lead to slightly higher amounts in an area around Louisburg to Rocky Mount to Roanoke Rapids and Ahoskie. Again, the accumulation would mainly be on grassy surfaces with very little on roadways expect for some slushy build up on mainly secondary roads.

Along the coast, the precipitation should stay as mainly all rain through Tuesday night and into early Wednesday morning. Some inland counties may see some light snow mix in with the rain as it tapers off Wednesday morning. No accumulation is expected in those areas though.

Keep in mind this is just a first look at an accumulation forecast, and it is still subject to change depending on the exact track of the low. Stay tuned to News 14 Carolina and news14.com for any updates to the forecast.

Lee Ringer
Meteorologist
News 14 Carolina