Winter Storm — Surry, North Carolina

2010-02-04 to 2010-02-05 · Surry, North Carolina

Event narrative

Snow broke out across the county late Thursday evening and continued through the day Friday. It mixed with sleet, rain and freezing rain during the day Friday when warmer air moved in aloft. The precipitation ended as snow showers Friday evening. Total snow accumulations of 5 to 7 inches were common.

The snow, combined with the freezing rain and rain on top brought down numerous trees and power lines across the county. Around 300 calls of downed trees were called in, and some car ports and vehicles were damaged. Over 200 car and tractor trailer accidents were also reported, with portions of highways 52 and 77 closed at times. At one point around 4000 people were without power.

There was one indirect death from the event, when a 74 year old man had a heart attack while shoveling snow.

Wider weather episode

A strong low pressure system moved from the Gulf Coast to off the North Carolina coast. A secondary low moved west of North Carolina over Kentucky, bringing a nose of warm air in aloft. This led to a mixture of snow, sleet, freezing rain, and rain across northwest North Carolina, with many areas seeing significant snow or ice accumulations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 216118. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.