Winter Storm — Yadkin, North Carolina

2018-12-08 to 2018-12-09 · Yadkin, North Carolina

Event narrative

Snowfall accumulations ranged from 12.0 inches about six miles east of Yadkinville to 14.5 inches at Boonville. One indirect fatality occurred when a male truck driver got stuck on Interstate 77 several miles north of the Route 421 intersection due to the heavy snow. He tried to dig his tractor trailer out of the snow but suffered a heart attack while shoveling. The man later died at a nearby hospital.

Wider weather episode

A low pressure system tracked eastward along the Gulf Coast and spread moisture northward toward the Mid Atlantic. Meanwhile, high pressure to the north allowed temperatures to fall into the 20s, which caused the moisture to mostly fall as heavy snow. Some sleet and freezing drizzle also fell during this storm. The heavy snow caused numerous vehicle accidents and downed trees that fell on to roads and power lines, and it also caused one indirect fatality in Yadkin County. Average snowfall accumulations ranged from ten to twenty inches over northwest North Carolina.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 788762. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.