Kilgore Trout Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Many of us are disappointed that we can still see our lawns today, so I figured it would be a good time to remember the good ol' days. Having grown up in warm weather places like California and Louisiana, it wasn't until my teen years that I moved to North Carolina and snow was a real possibility. But I was living in Jacksonville, NC, so snow was very rare there as well. At least until just before Christmas in 1989. It was a freak setup where some of the coldest air that I have experienced in North Carolina combined with an offshore low that decided to skirt the coast to produce nearly a foot and a half of snow. I can still remember the sound of the wind howling and the depth of some of the snowdrifts. The strange thing was that the further inland you went, the less snow you had. To this day, it is the most snow I have ever experienced, and I have lived in Asheville for almost 16 years. Honorable mention would be the January 27, 1998 storm in Asheville which produced about 15 inches at my house. The funny thing about that storm is there was no winter weather warning of any kind. The official forecast was 'snow changing to rain', and the held unto that forecast until there was several inches on the ground. An isothermal layer had set up and maintained itself throughout the storm. The flakes were big and wet, and I can remember the eerie sounds of limbs cracking along with transformers blowing up around town. That was a few months after moving up here and I have yet to have a snow that impressive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklin NCwx Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I remember the 1998 storm. They were calling for rain and we got hammered. Best storm of all time is of course, March 93. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullCityWx Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 1/23/03, 3/93, 1/96 and 1/88 are my top 4. Hard to choose a favorite but it might be 03. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MotoWeatherman Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Probably this one. Not 100% what year this was but I was in the sweet spot on the southside of ATL. 8" IMBY. I think it may have been 92. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eyewall Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 This is easy 1/25/00 when I was in Southern Pines (21"), PDII when I was on Long Island (22") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cold Rain Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 1/25/2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bevo Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 "When the present sucks, look to the past" - was this directed at certain ACC football supporters? January of 1988 closely followed by January 1987. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKY18 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 December 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strongwxnc Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I 100% agree I was 8 during the 88 storm. "When the present sucks, look to the past" - was this directed at certain ACC football supporters? January of 1988 closely followed by January 1987. But these two event in January of 87 shut down our local school system for almost 2 1/2 weeks. I recall building a snow fort with my two brothers. That fort finally melted in late April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven_1974 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I think it was January of 87 or 88 with 18 1/2 in Winston-Salem when I was a kid. In second was the 22 inches in Raleigh in January 2000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bevo Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I 100% agree I was 8 during the 88 storm. But these two event in January of 87 shut down our local school system for almost 2 1/2 weeks. I recall building a snow fort with my two brothers. That fort finally melted in late April. Yes - '87 shut us down for a week and a half. It doesn't get talked about as much as '88 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Trout Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 I remember the 1998 storm. They were calling for rain and we got hammered. Best storm of all time is of course, March 93. I was on the coast for that one. Flurries in Brunswick County to go along with hurricane force winds and coastal flooding. I can only imagine what it was like in the mountains. Also, not surprised to see many folks post about the Carolina Crusher. I remember being extremely jealous of that storm when I was living in Asheville. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strongwxnc Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Other than my 3 years in Boone (01-04), that was to this day, the best stretch of winter in my life... Yes - '87 shut us down for a week and a half. It doesn't get talked about as much as '88 though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bevo Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Other than my 3 years in Boone (01-04), that was to this day, the best stretch of winter in my life... Without question. We've not come close since then in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Trout Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 Other than my 3 years in Boone (01-04), that was to this day, the best stretch of winter in my life... Can't believe that double shot in 87. Looks like many areas got 20 plus inches over two storms separated by just a couple of days. That kind of thing happening today would send this board over a cliff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilkesboroDude Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 One of my top favs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculus1 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I 100% agree I was 8 during the 88 storm. But these two event in January of 87 shut down our local school system for almost 2 1/2 weeks. I recall building a snow fort with my two brothers. That fort finally melted in late April. The 80s were a fantastic decade for WNC in terms of snowfall. My first 10 years of life were spent during that decade in Caldwell County, NC. And I lived there through roughly 2000. To think that I once thought all winters would be like that... March 93 is the one I remember more, though. Nobody's posted that map yet, so here we go. School out for a couple weeks. My family moved in with some friends of ours for the duration since our power was out for about a week. Crazy stuff, and I was old enough to actually remember it all pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metalicwx366 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I wish I were alive for Dec 1989. Anyone have a map? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullCityWx Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 1/11 almost made my list because the snow held on for almost 10 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Kabong Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 March of 1993 when I was living in Rome, Georgia. It's easy to see why it was called "The Storm of the Century"...18" of snow (including my first experience with thundersnow) along with the first time I could ever recall a forecast for our area containing the words "blizzard conditions." I have a copy of the AFD's and Special Weather Statements issued from the Birmingham, AL NWS concerning that event and one, in particular, reveals the amazing breadth and power of this storm. At 2:07 a.m. on March 13th, every county in the state of Alabama was under a Heavy Snow Warning. A truly remarkable storm that will likely not be repeated in our lifetime. Although we lost power for 7 days, I'm glad that I was able to witness the Storm of the Century firsthand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strongwxnc Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I remember that storm very well. I was 13 at the time and we were able to sled all the way down the road ( just about 5 tenths of a mile) in the 13" snow tracks that froze up after cars tried to make it up the street. It was epic! The 80s were a fantastic decade for WNC in terms of snowfall. My first 10 years of life were spent during that decade in Caldwell County, NC. And I lived there through roughly 2000. To think that I once thought all winters would be like that... March 93 is the one I remember more, though. Nobody's posted that map yet, so here we go. School out for a couple weeks. My family moved in with some friends of ours for the duration since our power was out for about a week. Crazy stuff, and I was old enough to actually remember it all pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WxKnurd Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 There was one in high school, would have been Jan 03, that I remember staying up waiting for snow to fall and finally right as Eric Thomas came on the 11 o'clock news we had snow falling in northern Catawba County. He mentioned something about a 500mb low tracking through the foothills and it helped with some forcing and what not to give us 9 inches of some of the driest snow I've seen in NC. Next morning was cold and windy and that night we had temps fall in the single digits (8 or 9). That snow hung around for like a week I think and the bottom of the school parking lot was rock hard ice for a few days since they never scraped it. Of course 3/93 is an all-time favorite too. My parents were actually at the beach during that storm, I remember 8 year old me dragging my 3 year old brother through the woods with me at my grandparents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strongwxnc Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 http://www4.ncsu.edu/~nwsfo/storage/cases/20030123/The study posted here has a great read on why places around you netted 12"+ There was one in high school, would have been Jan 03, that I remember staying up waiting for snow to fall and finally right as Eric Thomas came on the 11 o'clock news we had snow falling in northern Catawba County. He mentioned something about a 500mb low tracking through the foothills and it helped with some forcing and what not to give us 9 inches of some of the driest snow I've seen in NC. Next morning was cold and windy and that night we had temps fall in the single digits (8 or 9). That snow hung around for like a week I think and the bottom of the school parking lot was rock hard ice for a few days since they never scraped it. Of course 3/93 is an all-time favorite too. My parents were actually at the beach during that storm, I remember 8 year old me dragging my 3 year old brother through the woods with me at my grandparents. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calculus1 Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 There was one in high school, would have been Jan 03, that I remember staying up waiting for snow to fall and finally right as Eric Thomas came on the 11 o'clock news we had snow falling in northern Catawba County. He mentioned something about a 500mb low tracking through the foothills and it helped with some forcing and what not to give us 9 inches of some of the driest snow I've seen in NC. Next morning was cold and windy and that night we had temps fall in the single digits (8 or 9). That snow hung around for like a week I think and the bottom of the school parking lot was rock hard ice for a few days since they never scraped it. Of course 3/93 is an all-time favorite too. My parents were actually at the beach during that storm, I remember 8 year old me dragging my 3 year old brother through the woods with me at my grandparents. Here ya go. It's not often that we get more snow in the foothills/piedmont than they manage in the mountains. But this was one of those times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilgore Trout Posted January 18, 2013 Author Share Posted January 18, 2013 I wish I were alive for Dec 1989. Anyone have a map? Map of NC totals in first post, but here is the link to the narrative of the storm that also has some pictures at the bottom of the page. It was a fascinating synoptic situation that will not likely duplicate itself in my lifetime (of course I would not be on the coast anyway to see such an event again). http://www.erh.noaa.gov/mhx/EventReviews/19891223/19891223.php Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
POWERSTROKE Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 I 100% agree I was 8 during the 88 storm. But these two event in January of 87 shut down our local school system for almost 2 1/2 weeks. I recall building a snow fort with my two brothers. That fort finally melted in late April. My favorite too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelJ Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 No map to show but my favorite was Feb. 1979 in Winston-Salem. It put down 14" and the temp never got above 10 degrees and the wind blew at 30mph during the bulk of the storm. That was the coldest I have ever been when I went outside during the height of the storm and walked up my street. I remember watching Lee Kinard on News2 break into the normal programming and issue a blizzard and wind chill warning with the temp on the screen showing 5 degrees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosie Posted January 18, 2013 Share Posted January 18, 2013 Dec. 25 and 26 2010, first time I have seen snow on Christmas Day plus my birthday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toxictwister00 Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 Don't have a favorite, but I'll post what I think personally were the best ones. -January 2-3, 2002 -March 1, 2009 (First time seeing/hearing thundersnow) -February 12, 2010 -December 25, 2010 (My First White Christmas) -January 9-10, 2011 If I was old enough to remember the Superstorm of '93 (I was only 4 mos. old then) that would definitely round off my top 6. The baby photos taken on my grandmother's front porch alone shows how awesome it was! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packbacker Posted January 19, 2013 Share Posted January 19, 2013 By far the best event, better than 1/25/00...it actually snowed a lot of it during the daytime, it was actually a one two punch... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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