North Carolina, 2019

Cold in North Carolina, January 29 to 31, 2019

January 29 to 31, 2019 · NWS GSP · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

An arctic cold front swept through the North Carolina mountains during the afternoon of the 29th, followed by a reinforcing front on the 30th. This led to an extended period of very cold weather and low wind chill across the high elevations.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
9

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.

An arctic cold front swept through the North Carolina mountains during the afternoon of the 29th, followed by a reinforcing front on the 30th. This led to an extended period of very cold weather and low wind chill across the high elevations. Temperatures remained in the single digits and teens throughout this time, with gusty northwest winds resulting in wind chill values of -5 to -15 across much of the area. Meanwhile, wind chills as low as -30 were reported on the high peaks and ridge tops above 5500 ft. Temperatures and wind speeds finally began to moderate by late morning on the 31st.

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 29, 6:37 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 29, 6:37 PM EST, 1 hour 23 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 29, 3:12 PM EST, 4 hours 48 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Greenville-Spartanburg SC
312 PM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

GAZ010-017-018-026-028-029-NCZ035>037-056-057-062>065-068>072-082-
501>510-SCZ001>014-019-302015-
Rabun-Habersham-Stephens-Franklin-Hart-Elbert-Alexander-Iredell-
Davie-Catawba-Rowan-Macon-Southern Jackson-Transylvania-Henderson-
Cleveland-Lincoln-Gaston-Mecklenburg-Cabarrus-Union-
Caldwell Mountains-Greater Caldwell-Burke Mountains-Greater Burke-
McDowell Mountains-Eastern McDowell-Rutherford Mountains-
Greater Rutherford-Polk Mountains-Eastern Polk-Oconee Mountains-
Pickens Mountains-Greenville Mountains-Greater Oconee-
Greater Pickens-Greater Greenville-Spartanburg-Cherokee-York-
Anderson-Abbeville-Laurens-Chester-Greenwood-
312 PM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for northeast Georgia, piedmont
North Carolina, western North Carolina and upstate South Carolina.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Hazardous weather is not expected at this time.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Very cold air will move into the region tonight behind an arctic
cold front. Average temperatures may be nearly 15 degrees below
normal Wednesday and Thursday which could cause significant impacts.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

None.

NCZ033-048>053-058-059-302015-
Avery-Madison-Yancey-Mitchell-Swain-Haywood-Buncombe-Graham-
Northern Jackson-
312 PM EST Tue Jan 29 2019

...WIND CHILL ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 7 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 AM EST
THURSDAY ABOVE 3500 FEET...

This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for western North Carolina.

.DAY ONE...This afternoon and tonight.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Advisory.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday.

Please listen to NOAA Weather Radio or go to weather.gov on the
Internet for more information about the following hazards.

   Wind Chill Advisory.

Very windy conditions are also possible through Wednesday night.
Average temperatures are expected to be around 15 degrees below
normal Wednesday and Thursday which could cause significant impacts.
See the Special Weather Statement for details.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotters are requested to report snow and ice accumulations to our
office.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 29, 2:45 PM EST, 5 hours 15 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jan 29, 4:05 PM EST, 3 hours 55 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

9 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Cold/Wind Chill, Avery

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Avery forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
36.077, -81.922 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Buncombe

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Buncombe forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.611, -82.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Haywood

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Haywood forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.556, -82.982 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Madison

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Madison forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.858, -82.706 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Mitchell

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Mitchell forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
36.013, -82.163 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Jackson

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Northern Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.287, -83.141 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Swain

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Swain forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.487, -83.493 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Transylvania

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Transylvania forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.202, -82.798 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cold/Wind Chill, Yancey

When
January 29, 8:00 PM EST to January 31, 10:00 AM EST
Where
Yancey forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
35.899, -82.308 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Cold/Wind Chill
Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Carolina in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in North Carolina, January 2019

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: 804762, 804763, 804764, 804765, 804767, 804768, 804769, 804770, 804771.