Winter Storm — Inland Onslow, North Carolina

2025-01-21 to 2025-01-22 · Inland Onslow, North Carolina

Event narrative

Trained Spotter reports between three to five inches of snow had fallen between the evening of January 21st and the morning of January 22nd.

Wider weather episode

An upper level storm system moved southeast through the Rockies, then east across the Southern U.S. on January 21-22. This storm system overlapped with an usually cold airmass already in place across much of the U.S., leading to a rare deep south winter storm that blanketed Eastern North Carolina with at least several inches of snow. Snow began during the evening hours of the 21st as a surface trough moved into the Coastal Plain with snowfall then spreading east as the evening progressed and a stationary front set up offshore. Snow became heavy at times especially across portions of the Outer Banks where the highest snowfall amounts fell. Snow then quickly ended across the Coastal Plain on the morning of the 22nd while snow stuck around the OBX and eastern Carteret County until the afternoon on the 22nd. The winter storm was responsible for producing a swath of 2-6 of snow for much of ENC, with several locations across the Outer Banks reporting amounts as high as 6-9.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1225147. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.