Winter Storm in West Carteret, North Carolina

Widespread reports between public, CoCoRahs, trained spotters, and NWS employees of ten to nineteen inches of snowfall including fifteen inches of snowfall at the NWS Newport Morehead City office. Snowfall occurred between the morning of January thirty-first and the morning of February first.

A potent upper-level low tracked south and then southeast from the Upper Midwest to the Southeast during the weekend of Friday January 30th to Sunday February 1st. At the same time, a baroclinic zone set up along the offshore waters of Georgia, westwards to the Deep South. A surface low then developed along this baroclinic zone just off the coast of Georgia during the early morning hours on Saturday January 31st. As the upper level low neared the developing surface low, this resulted in a Miller-A low pressure system. The associated offshore low pressure system then rapidly strengthened as it tracked northeastwards just off the North Carolina coast during the overnight hours between Saturday and Sunday. This very strong low then pulled away from the Carolinas and moved out into the open waters of the North Atlantic during the late morning hours on Sunday. With an unusually cold airmass in place across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, a rather widespread and historic snowstorm for almost all of Eastern North Carolina occurred. Snow began during the morning hours on Saturday January 31st mainly along the Crystal Coast and Inner Banks, though a period of light snow occurred across portions of the Coastal Plain as well Saturday morning. By Saturday afternoon the low pressure system off the coast began to deepen quickly resulting in heavier and more widespread snowfall across much of Eastern North Carolina. Snowfall rates became heavy at times resulting in periods of whiteout conditions as 30-50 mph wind gusts (60-65 mph on the Outer Banks) also impacted the area making travel treacherous across the region. Snow finally pushed completely offshore by the late morning hours on Sunday February 1st. Over 10 inches of snowfall were measured across most counties of Eastern North Carolina outside of Hatteras Island and Ocracoke with several counties reporting over a foot of snowfall. The strong winds associated with the low also produced coastal flooding on the Outer Banks of Hatteras and Ocracoke Islands. Highway 12 was closed for a time, and 4 more homes in the Buxton area collapsed into the ocean due to the coastal flooding.