Winter Storm — Inland Pender, North Carolina

2014-02-11 to 2014-02-13 · Inland Pender, North Carolina

Event narrative

A mixture of snow, freezing rain and sleet began falling the morning of February 11th, with over an inch of frozen precipitation reported at Watha. Driving was treacherous, with 3700 residents without power. Some residents stayed overnight at emergency shelters. One man was killed when an ice-laden tree branch fell on him outside his home on Hopes Path Road in Rocky Point. Six people were taken to the hospital and treated for carbon monoxide. They were trying to heat their home with a charcoal grill.

Wider weather episode

Low pressure formed along a nearly stationary frontal boundary over northern Florida on February 11th, with a strong and large area of high pressure to the north. Precipitation began as snow from the I-95 corridor and points west, with mainly sleet and freezing rain reported east of I-95. The northwest portion of the region received over five inches of snow. Over the course of a couple of days, the storm transitioned to mainly an ice event, with nearly an inch of ice reported over interior portions of northeast South Carolina, with lesser amounts over southeast North Carolina. In addition to creating extremely hazardous driving conditions, major power outages were reported due to downed limbs and power lines. Low pressure finally moved up the eastern seaboard and out of the region during the day on February 13th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 502085. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.