Winter Storm — Edgecombe, North Carolina

2009-01-20 · Edgecombe, North Carolina

Event narrative

Between 4 to 6 inches of snow fell across the county over a 12 hour period. Roads were quickly covered with snow resulting in several traffic accidents and the closing of local schools and businesses. One indirect fatality was reported the following morning when a vehicle hit a patch of ice on NC Highway 97 near Leggett and then collided with an oncoming semitruck.

Wider weather episode

On 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. A strong upper level disturbace dropped quickly southeast into the mid-Atlantic follwed by a surface of low pressure which developed south of Wilmington. The combination of cold air and moisture surging in from the coast allowed the rain to transition to snow between midnight and 3 am. Snow lasted until afternoon in many locations and did not taper off in the Interstate 95 corridor until 3 pm.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 141864. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.