Winter Storm in North Carolina, December 29, 1997

A Winter Storm affected the western and central portions of North Carolina. Snow fell over the western piedmont with a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain over the central piedmont . Rain fell to the east. Snow developed over the western piedmont of North Carolina just after sunrise and continued through the day. The snow tapered off in the late afternoon. The main rain / snow line set up from near Salisbury northeast to Greensboro and extended northeast to the North Carolina / Virginia border, just west of Roxboro. Snow fell to the west of this line, while rain fell to the east. Along the narrow transition zone from near Salisbury northeast to Roxboro, a mixture of rain and snow fell, occasionally mixed with sleet. Accumulations of snow were heaviest in the city of Winston-Salem and points west and north of the city. Totals there were from 6 to 8 inches, with 4 to 6 inches of snow in Davidson and Guilford counties, including the cities of Lexington and Greensboro. Near the snow to rain transition line...snow accumulations were limited to 1 to 3 inches in a zone from Albemarle in Stanly county northeast through Randolph county including Asheboro and into Alamance and Person counties. Burlington and Roxboro reported around 2 inches of snow. Hundreds of traffic accidents were reported in Davidson, Forsyth, Guilford, Randolph, and Alamance counties. Power outages were also heaviest in Forsyth county.