Officials, residents in North Carolina brace for 1st measurable snow in 437 days
By
Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 18, 2020 5:38 PM EDT
Officials and road crews in North Carolina scrambled to prepare for a winter storm that AccuWeather forecasters say could dump the biggest snowfall of the season throughout much of the state. Numerous counties in the eastern portion of North Carolina and several spots in southern Virginia were under Winter Storm Warnings on Thursday as the storm moved eastward.
Much of the rest of North Carolina was under a winter weather advisory or some other weather alert. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and state emergency management officials urged residents to be prepared and monitor local forecasts ahead of a developing storm system, which meteorologists said would begin as rain.
Advisories and winter weather warnings also extended to eastern Tennessee, where snow appeared on weather radar early Thursday, but the atmosphere was too dry for the snow to reach the ground.
AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell is on the ground in Raleigh, where forecasters expect some significant snowfall, and he said crews were out ahead of the storm pre-treating roadways in the early hours on Thursday morning.
Areas of the South expected to endure the brunt of this winter storm typically experience all of their annual snowfall from one system.
“It’s gonna snow,” AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said of the approaching storm, something much of central North Carolina hasn't seen since late 2018. According to the National Weather Service, measurable snow hasn't fallen in the Raleigh area since Dec. 10, 2018, when Raleigh picked up 1.8 inches of snow. Greenville saw nearly an inch that day. This storm will snap the area's streak without measurable snowfall at 437 days.
The storm is expected to ride along the boundary between clashing air masses across the South. Warm air will hold on over the Interstate 10 corridor, while cold air will take root along the I-40 corridor.
Up to a few inches of snow fell over the hilly terrain south and east of Nashville, Tennessee, into Thursday afternoon. Some roads became slushy and slippery for a time around Crossville, Tennessee.
Farther to the east, the area where wintry precipitation is anticipated will broaden north and south of I-40 during Thursday to Thursday night, including across northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, southern Virginia, upstate South Carolina and much of North Carolina.
Cities that are likely to have at least a small accumulation of snow include Charlotte and Fayetteville, North Carolina; Greenville, South Carolina; Danville, Petersburg, Emporia and Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Rome, Georgia.
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Several factors will affect whether how much snow accumulates, including the warm ground, fast movement of the strengthening storm, intensity of the snow and how much dry air will be in place.
"Even though the storm will be strengthening as it approaches the Atlantic coast, it will be moving fast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
"The strengthening part can lead to several inches of snow in some areas, while the fast-moving part should keep that limited to a few pockets," Miller added.
AccuWeather is predicting a 1- to 3-inch snowfall over a large part of North Carolina and southern Virginia with 3-6 inches likely over the southern Appalachians and also in part of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches is likely with this storm.
Cities that have the best chance of receiving a few inches of snow include Raleigh, Roanoke Rapids, Goldsboro, Greenville, Winston-Salem, Elizabeth City, Asheville and Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and Wytheville, Martinsville, Danville, Emporia, Franklin, Chesapeake and Suffolk, Virginia.
Locations in the 3-to 6-inch snowfall area may pick up more snow from this storm than D.C., Philadelphia and New York City have measured all season long. Winter snow totals in the I-95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic are way below normal -- with 0.6 of an inch in D.C., 0.3 of an inch in Philadelphia and 4.7 inches in New York City thus far.
Crews are preparing for snow in Greene and Lenoir counties in North Carolina ahead of the winter storm. (North Carolina Department of Transportation)
Any spots that see accumulations of 6 inches will have picked up more snow from this storm system than those three major cities have seen this winter combined.
However, it is possible that the storm strengthens significantly and produces heavy snow over central and eastern North Carolina to southeastern Virginia. Recent trends have indicated that this potential is becoming more likely, and the current forecast reflects a move toward that outcome.
On the northern edge of the storm, too much dry air may prevent much more than a few flurries in central Virginia and middle Tennessee. A motorist driving south on I-81, I-85 or I-95 may face dry weather then flurries followed by snow and slippery conditions in a matter of a couple of dozen miles or less.
Around Atlanta; Columbia, South Carolina; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia, a few snowflakes cannot be ruled out from the storm toward the tail end, but no accumulation is expected at this time. Only if the storm were to shift its track might there be a period of snow and perhaps a slushy accumulation.
Roads' surface temperatures are rather warm in the South as there have been multiple days with temperatures reaching the 60s and 70s in recent weeks. Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s again on Wednesday in some areas. But colder air will drill in Wednesday night and Thursday with temperatures mainly in the 30s over much of the I-40 corridor.
The warm pavement will cause much of the snow to melt as it falls. However, if the snow falls at a heavy enough rate, then it can cool the surfaces to the point where slush forms and snow begins to build up.
The conditions will lead to more snow accumulation on grassy areas and elevated surfaces, such as car tops, versus roads, parking lots and sidewalks. However, even a small, slushy accumulation can lead to slippery and dangerous travel for motorists and pedestrians who are not accustomed to negotiating winter conditions.
In the wake of the storm, cold air will continue to press into the region later Thursday night and Friday morning. Untreated wet areas can freeze and roads and sidewalks are likely to be slushy and slippery at the very least where snow fell from the storm. Substantial travel delays are anticipated Friday morning as a result.
Even though the afternoon will remain chilly, the warm ground and late-February sun will melt much of, if not all, the snow that was able to stick.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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News / Winter Weather
Officials, residents in North Carolina brace for 1st measurable snow in 437 days
By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist
Published Feb 18, 2020 5:38 PM EDT
Officials and road crews in North Carolina scrambled to prepare for a winter storm that AccuWeather forecasters say could dump the biggest snowfall of the season throughout much of the state. Numerous counties in the eastern portion of North Carolina and several spots in southern Virginia were under Winter Storm Warnings on Thursday as the storm moved eastward.
Much of the rest of North Carolina was under a winter weather advisory or some other weather alert. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper and state emergency management officials urged residents to be prepared and monitor local forecasts ahead of a developing storm system, which meteorologists said would begin as rain.
Advisories and winter weather warnings also extended to eastern Tennessee, where snow appeared on weather radar early Thursday, but the atmosphere was too dry for the snow to reach the ground.
AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Waddell is on the ground in Raleigh, where forecasters expect some significant snowfall, and he said crews were out ahead of the storm pre-treating roadways in the early hours on Thursday morning.
Areas of the South expected to endure the brunt of this winter storm typically experience all of their annual snowfall from one system.
“It’s gonna snow,” AccuWeather Chief Broadcast Meteorologist Bernie Rayno said of the approaching storm, something much of central North Carolina hasn't seen since late 2018. According to the National Weather Service, measurable snow hasn't fallen in the Raleigh area since Dec. 10, 2018, when Raleigh picked up 1.8 inches of snow. Greenville saw nearly an inch that day. This storm will snap the area's streak without measurable snowfall at 437 days.
The storm is expected to ride along the boundary between clashing air masses across the South. Warm air will hold on over the Interstate 10 corridor, while cold air will take root along the I-40 corridor.
Up to a few inches of snow fell over the hilly terrain south and east of Nashville, Tennessee, into Thursday afternoon. Some roads became slushy and slippery for a time around Crossville, Tennessee.
Farther to the east, the area where wintry precipitation is anticipated will broaden north and south of I-40 during Thursday to Thursday night, including across northern Georgia, eastern Tennessee, southern Virginia, upstate South Carolina and much of North Carolina.
Cities that are likely to have at least a small accumulation of snow include Charlotte and Fayetteville, North Carolina; Greenville, South Carolina; Danville, Petersburg, Emporia and Virginia Beach, Virginia; and Rome, Georgia.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
Several factors will affect whether how much snow accumulates, including the warm ground, fast movement of the strengthening storm, intensity of the snow and how much dry air will be in place.
"Even though the storm will be strengthening as it approaches the Atlantic coast, it will be moving fast," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Rob Miller said.
"The strengthening part can lead to several inches of snow in some areas, while the fast-moving part should keep that limited to a few pockets," Miller added.
AccuWeather is predicting a 1- to 3-inch snowfall over a large part of North Carolina and southern Virginia with 3-6 inches likely over the southern Appalachians and also in part of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. An AccuWeather Local StormMax™ of 8 inches is likely with this storm.
Cities that have the best chance of receiving a few inches of snow include Raleigh, Roanoke Rapids, Goldsboro, Greenville, Winston-Salem, Elizabeth City, Asheville and Rocky Mount, North Carolina; and Wytheville, Martinsville, Danville, Emporia, Franklin, Chesapeake and Suffolk, Virginia.
Locations in the 3-to 6-inch snowfall area may pick up more snow from this storm than D.C., Philadelphia and New York City have measured all season long. Winter snow totals in the I-95 corridor of the mid-Atlantic are way below normal -- with 0.6 of an inch in D.C., 0.3 of an inch in Philadelphia and 4.7 inches in New York City thus far.
Crews are preparing for snow in Greene and Lenoir counties in North Carolina ahead of the winter storm. (North Carolina Department of Transportation)
Any spots that see accumulations of 6 inches will have picked up more snow from this storm system than those three major cities have seen this winter combined.
However, it is possible that the storm strengthens significantly and produces heavy snow over central and eastern North Carolina to southeastern Virginia. Recent trends have indicated that this potential is becoming more likely, and the current forecast reflects a move toward that outcome.
On the northern edge of the storm, too much dry air may prevent much more than a few flurries in central Virginia and middle Tennessee. A motorist driving south on I-81, I-85 or I-95 may face dry weather then flurries followed by snow and slippery conditions in a matter of a couple of dozen miles or less.
Around Atlanta; Columbia, South Carolina; Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and Richmond, Virginia, a few snowflakes cannot be ruled out from the storm toward the tail end, but no accumulation is expected at this time. Only if the storm were to shift its track might there be a period of snow and perhaps a slushy accumulation.
Related:
Roads' surface temperatures are rather warm in the South as there have been multiple days with temperatures reaching the 60s and 70s in recent weeks. Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s again on Wednesday in some areas. But colder air will drill in Wednesday night and Thursday with temperatures mainly in the 30s over much of the I-40 corridor.
The warm pavement will cause much of the snow to melt as it falls. However, if the snow falls at a heavy enough rate, then it can cool the surfaces to the point where slush forms and snow begins to build up.
The conditions will lead to more snow accumulation on grassy areas and elevated surfaces, such as car tops, versus roads, parking lots and sidewalks. However, even a small, slushy accumulation can lead to slippery and dangerous travel for motorists and pedestrians who are not accustomed to negotiating winter conditions.
In the wake of the storm, cold air will continue to press into the region later Thursday night and Friday morning. Untreated wet areas can freeze and roads and sidewalks are likely to be slushy and slippery at the very least where snow fell from the storm. Substantial travel delays are anticipated Friday morning as a result.
Even though the afternoon will remain chilly, the warm ground and late-February sun will melt much of, if not all, the snow that was able to stick.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
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