North Carolina, 1997

Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 13 to 14, 1997

February 13 to 14, 1997 · NWS RAH · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

PRECIPITATION DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE EVENING OF THE 13TH. CLASSIC COLD AIR DAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD SURFACE HIGH OVER NEW ENGLAND AND AN APPROACHING WEAK SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE GULF COAST STATES GAVE SNOW TO THE NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE PIEDMONT AROUND WINSTON-SALEM.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS RAH wrote it up.

PRECIPITATION DEVELOPED RAPIDLY OVER CENTRAL NORTH CAROLINA DURING THE EVENING OF THE 13TH. CLASSIC COLD AIR DAMMING ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD SURFACE HIGH OVER NEW ENGLAND AND AN APPROACHING WEAK SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA OVER THE GULF COAST STATES GAVE SNOW TO THE NORTHWEST SECTIONS OF THE PIEDMONT AROUND WINSTON-SALEM. TO THE SOUTH AND EAST, A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND SLEET CHANGED TO FREEZING RAIN IN A NARROW BAND FROM LEXINGTON TO GREENSBORO TO BURLINGTON AND ROXBORO. ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW FELL OVER FORSYTH COUNTY BEFORE CHANGING TO SLEET. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES OF SNOW FROM LEXINGTON TO GREENSBORO TO ROXBORO CHANGED TO SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN OVERNIGHT WITH ACCUMULATIONS OF 1/4 TO 3/8 OF AN INCH OF GLAZE. THIS CREATED PACKED ICY ROAD CONDITIONS FOR THE WESTERN AND NORTHERN PIEDMONT AND CAUSED SEVERAL THOUSAND POWER OUTAGES. TEMPERTURES RANGED IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S DURING THE EVENT.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Forsyth

When
February 13, 2:00 PM EST to February 14, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Forsyth forecast zone
Coordinates
36.131, -80.256 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Guilford

When
February 13, 2:00 PM EST to February 14, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Guilford forecast zone
Coordinates
36.080, -79.789 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Davidson

When
February 13, 2:00 PM EST to February 14, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Davidson forecast zone
Coordinates
35.793, -80.213 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Randolph

When
February 13, 2:00 PM EST to February 14, 4:00 PM EST
Where
Randolph forecast zone
Coordinates
35.710, -79.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, February 1997

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5596618, 5596619, 5596620, 5596621.