Winter Storm — Watauga, North Carolina

2025-01-19 to 2025-01-20 · Watauga, North Carolina

Event narrative

Between four to six inches of snow fell across Watauga County, though some higher accumulations were reported in higher elevation locations, such as in Aho, where eight inches of snow was reported, and in Sugar Grove, where 6.5 inches were reported. Key Impacts: power outages, slick roads.

Wider weather episode

A combination of several weather features resulted in moderate snowfall accumulations across the mountains, especially over Watauga County in northwest North Carolina. A strong upper level storm system rotated through a broader upper level trough that was tracking east through the central US, while a second upper level storm system moved into the Ohio Valley, which spawned a surface low pressure system that deepened as it moved off the Georgia Coast.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1233073. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.