Winter Weather in North Carolina
Every winter weather event the National Weather Service has filed in North Carolina, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
The most significant on the map
The most significant winter weather episodes in North Carolina.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 4,302
- Deaths
- 26
- Injuries
- 52
- Damage
- $871,000
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 4, 2010As a storm system track just south of the region between one to three inches of snow fell along and north of Highway 64 to the Virginia border. The heaviest snow fell in a band more more than 30 miles wide.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 16, 2010A weak storm system tracking west to east across the state combined with cold air to produce a prolonged period of light snow and light freezing rain. Many location experienced enough icing to cause accidents.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 3 to 4, 2018A surface low intensified off the Carolina coast, resulting in snow occurring over much of Central North Carolina. Bands of heavy snow developed, resulting in snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches in some locations.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 7, 2007On Friday December 7, 2007 a brief period of light freezing rain fell across Central North Carolina from the Triad east to portions of the Triangle and east over the Coastal Plain.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 18, 2007Snow moved into Central North Carolina just prior to sunrise on January 18th impacting local schools and morning communters. Between one to two inches of snow fell across the area resulting in numerous accidents.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 28, 2014A low pressure system passed up the Atlantic coast, radiating moisture inland which was forced into the mountains.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 20 to 22, 2009On January 20, 2009 the first major winter storm to strike Central North Carolina since 2004 brought 3 to 7 inches of snow to most of the area.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 20, 2016A fast moving clipper system brought light snowfall accumulations across portions of the region during the overnight hours on January 20th/21st.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 9, 2015A deep upper trough combined with a weak surface trough produced freezing rain for a short period of time, causing multiple vehicle accidents.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 15, 2005A mix of freezing rain and sleet fell across the area from 4am to about 10am on December 15th. Preciptation changed over to all rain by noon. Clearing skies with temperatuers dropping down to around 30 the next morning resulted in areas of black ice.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 10 to 11, 2011A slow moving storm system tracking from the Gulf of Mexico northeast along the Carolina coast interacted with cold air in pace across the state resulting in a prolonged period of snow which changed over to freezing rain as the storm approached.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 22 to 23, 2016A strong upper level low induced a surface low pressure system that tracked through the region. With a cold air mass already in place, a winter storm impacted the region.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, March 1 to 2, 2009Bands of heavy snow moved across Central North Carolina blanketing the region with 2 to 8 inches of snow. Areas in the piedmont experienced the most snow fall with the Triad reporting up to 8 inches.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 6, 2011An area of light rain mixed with snow moved across the Piedmont of North Carolina the night of the 5th into early on the 6th. Behind this precipitation skies cleared right around daybreak allowing for temperatures to briefly fall below freezing.
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 24, 2015Low pressure moved south of Eastern NC while arctic high pressure to the north supplied cold air to the region. The low pressure system caused a wintry mix of precipitation across the area throughout the day, with mainly snow as the precipitation broke out during the morning.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 17 to 18, 2018Low pressure deepening off the North Carolina coast produced significant snowfall over most of eastern North Carolina during the late evening of January 17th through the early morning of January 18th.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 20, 2016A quick moving mid level disturbance tracked across the region, leading to some light snow across the northwestern Piedmont. Most locations received only a dusting, with Person and Forsyth Counties seeing up to one half of an inch.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, December 16, 2010A warm front lifted slowly north across eastern North Carolina on December 16th 2010. A light wintry mix of snow, sleet and freezing rain developed during the morning hours over eastern North Carolina just north of the warm front.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 6, 2011On the morning of January 6 and period of light rain overnight was followed by rapidly clear skies occurring right at daybreak. Clear skies and and rapidly falling temperatures allowed conditions to fall below freezing for about an hour.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in North Carolina, January 3, 2022A strong upper level low moved from the Midwest into the Mid Atlantic from January 2nd into the 3rd.
- Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 6, 2011Several accidents occurred across the North Carolina foothills during the morning of the 6th due to black ice. A school bus was involved in a single vehicle accident in the Grace Chapel area of Caldwell County. Seventeen students received minor injuries.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 12 to 13, 2021An area of low pressure tracked along a stalled frontal zone to the south of central NC and eventually north-northeastward along the North Carolina coast.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, February 10 to 13, 2025A high pressure wedge was situated over the region as a surface low pressure system developed over the southern Plains, with an expansive area of precipitation that shifted eastward into the Mid Atlantic during the day of February 11.
- Flash Flooding and Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 3 to 4, 1998A strong slow-moving winter storm moved from the Gulf of Mexico north through the Carolinas on the 3rd and 4th, bringing with it heavy rain, snow and high winds. Snow accumulated between 1 and 3 inches across the higher elevations of the mountains by early afternoon on the 3rd.
- Winter Storm and Winter Weather in North Carolina, January 12 to 13, 2019Moisture overspread the area from the southwest as a southern stream Miller-B low pressure system tracked from the lower Mississippi Valley to the SE US Coast.
More
Winter Weather everywhereEvery kind of event in North Carolina
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 2026-09-24.