Heavy Snow — Mecklenburg, North Carolina

2004-02-26 to 2004-02-27 · Mecklenburg, North Carolina

Wider weather episode

Heavy snow began to fall across the foothills, piedmont, and northern mountains of North Carolina during the late morning. Although snowfall intensity decreased dramatically during the early-to-middle portion of the afternoon, heavy snow redeveloped during the late afternoon, and continued into the evening and overnight hours. Scattered thunderstorms contributed to intense snowfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour from time to time, especially in the piedmont, where total snowfall of 12-22 inches occurred. The heaviest amounts occurred in the southwest piedmont, particularly in southern portions of Charlotte metro. Thousands of people were stranded on I-77 during the early afternoon, and some required rescue. The weight of the snowfall caused damage to numerous roofs, while some roofs completely collapsed. Across the foothills and northern mountains, accumulations were considerably lighter, generally in the 4-8 inch range, although amounts of 10-16 inches fell along the Blue Ridge north of I-40.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5388290. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.