Winter Storm in North Carolina, January 2 to 4, 2002

Low pressure formed in the Gulf of Mexico the morning of January 2nd and moved up the eastern seaboard. Moisture moved north, overrunning cold high pressure, setting up a wintery mix for North and South Carolina. The precipitation began as snow over South Carolina that afternoon, and expanded to include North Carolina later that afternoon. The precipitation changed to freezing rain and sleet, then to rain over coastal sections of North and South Carolina that evening and continued through the morning of January 3rd. The precipitation in the inland counties remained as a mix of freezing rain and sleet. As the the low pressure center continued to track north, cold air wrapped around the system, changing the precipitation back to all snow by midday on January 3rd, and continued until the snow tapered off by early morning on January 4th.The snowfall totals were heaviest over portions of Darlington, Marlboro, and Robeson counties, where between 6 to 8 inches fell, with some sleet mixed in. Counties further south and east, including Florence, Marion, Dillon, and Bladen counties received between 4 and 6 inches of snow, including between a half and an inch of freezing rain and sleet. Along coastal counties, between 1 and 3 inches of snow occurred, with around a half inch of sleet and freezing rain. There were numerous traffic accidents reported, although there was no information on injuries. In Florence county alone, emergency personnel reported 167 accidents, over double the normal amount. There were over 1500 traffic accidents reported in South Carolina alone. The freezing rain from the storm forced many trees and large branches to snap, causing numerous power outages around the area. More than 25,000 customers were without power in Horry, Georgetown, and Brunswick counties. Secondary roads in most areas proved treacherous, but road crews managed to keep highways and primary roads open. Many businesses and schools were closed on January 3rd and 4th, including 64,000 state workers.