North Carolina, 2011

Heavy Snow in North Carolina, January 7 to 9, 2011

January 7 to 9, 2011 · NWS GSP · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Light to moderate snow developed ahead of a cold front across the western mountains of North Carolina around noon, and continued through the afternoon. After the cold front passed during the early evening, snow showers, some of which were heavy developed within a moist northwest flow, adding to accumulations across the Tennesse border counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
7

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 GSP wrote it up.

Light to moderate snow developed ahead of a cold front across the western mountains of North Carolina around noon, and continued through the afternoon. After the cold front passed during the early evening, snow showers, some of which were heavy developed within a moist northwest flow, adding to accumulations across the Tennesse border counties. Snow showers continued into the overnight and through much of the 8th before tapering off during the evening and the early morning hours of the 9th. Total accumulations were highly variable across the area and depended largely upon terrain. Storm total amounts ranged from 3 to 5 inches in the southwest mountain valleys, to 4 to 8 inches in the lower French Broad Valley and the northern mountain valleys. The high elevations along the state line received as much as 2 feet.

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 Greenville-Spartanburg, SC wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 9:36 AM EST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 9:36 AM EST, 2 hours 24 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

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Avery

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Avery forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
36.077, -81.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Mitchell

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
36.013, -82.163 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Yancey

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Yancey forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.899, -82.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Madison

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.858, -82.706 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Haywood

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Haywood forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Swain

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Swain forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.487, -83.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Graham

When
January 7, 12:00 PM EST to January 9, 12:00 AM EST
Where
Graham forecast zone
Reported by
County Official
Coordinates
35.350, -83.834 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, January 2011

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: 276652, 276653, 276654, 276655, 276656, 276657, 276658.