Winter Storm in North Carolina, January 3 to 4, 2002

Name: Winter Storm in North Carolina, January 3 to 4, 2002
Start: 2002-01-03T15:00
End: 2002-01-04T04:00
Location: North Carolina

January 3 to 4, 2002 · NWS MHX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Eastern North Carolina was blanketed by ice and snow beginning later in the afternoon on January 3rd. Snowfall continued for several hours and ended over much of the area by 4am on the 4th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 MHX wrote it up.

Eastern North Carolina was blanketed by ice and snow beginning later in the afternoon on January 3rd. Snowfall continued for several hours and ended over much of the area by 4am on the 4th. Mainland locations received 4 to 6 inches of snow while along the outer banks only a trace to an inch of snow was recorded from Manteo to Cape Hatteras, mainly due to gusty winds.On the Island of Ocracoke, four inches of snow was recorded within the village.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Newport/Morehead City, NC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 2, 3:50 PM EST, 23 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 2, 3:50 PM EST, 23 hours 10 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Beaufort

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Beaufort forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.486, -76.845 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Washington

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Washington forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.839, -76.569 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pamlico

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Pamlico forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.152, -76.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Carteret

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Carteret forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Craven

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Craven forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Onslow

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Onslow forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Western Dare

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Western Dare forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.787, -75.781 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Eastern Dare

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Dare forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Eastern Hyde

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Eastern Hyde forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Winter Storm, Western Hyde

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Western Hyde forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.410, -76.148 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Tyrrell

When: January 3, 3:00 PM EST to January 4, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Tyrrell forecast zone
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 35.870, -76.170 (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

Every storm in North Carolina in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in North Carolina, January 2002

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: 5277349, 5277350, 5277351, 5277352, 5277353, 5277354, 5277355, 5277356, 5277357, 5277358, 5277359.