Extreme Weather Records for NC (Charlotte, Raleigh: transplants, house, wedding)

[mm34b]

I think it's interesting that the wettest place in NC is a just short drive from the driest. Love those mountains!


HIGHEST TEMPERATURE OF RECORD

110°F Fayetteville, Cumberland County August 21, 1983

LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF RECORD

-34°F (below zero) Mount Mitchell, Yancey County January 21, 1985

GREATEST 24-HOUR RAINFALL

22.22 inches Altapass, Mitchell County July 15-16, 1916

GREATEST 24-HOUR SNOWFALL

36 inches Mount Mitchell, Yancey County March 13, 1993

GREATEST SINGLE STORM SNOWFALL

60 inches Newfound Gap, Swain County, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (unofficial) April 2-6, 1987
50 inches Mount Mitchell, Yancey County March 12-14, 1993

WARMEST WEATHER STATION

63.8°F Wilmington, New Hanover County annual average

COLDEST WEATHER STATION

43.8°F Mount Mitchell, Yancey County (on mountain top) annual average
48.8°F Banner Elk, Avery County (in a valley where people actually live) annual average

WETTEST WEATHER STATION

91.72 inches Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County annual average

DRIEST WEATHER STATION

37.32 inches Asheville (Downtown), Buncombe County annual average

MAXIMUM SINGLE STATION PRECIPITATION FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR

129.60 inches Rosman, Transylvania County 1964

MINIMUM SINGLE STATION PRECIPITATION FOR ANY CALENDAR YEAR

22.69 inches Mount Airy, Surry County 1930

[silverwing]

Originally Posted by mm34b

I think it's interesting that the wettest place in NC is a just short drive from the driest. Love those mountains!
GREATEST 24-HOUR SNOWFALL

36 inches Mount Mitchell, Yancey County March 13, 1993

GREATEST SINGLE STORM SNOWFALL

60 inches Newfound Gap, Swain County, Great Smoky Mountains National Park (unofficial) April 2-6, 1987
50 inches Mount Mitchell, Yancey County March 12-14, 1993

Mt. Mitchell does seem to factor in all the snow records
http://www.geo.appstate.edu/Research/Perry/mtmitch1_low.jpg (broken link)

The first few years we lived here, a lot of our fellow transplants made treks to the mountains because they missed snow We'd seen enough of it back in the Midwest thankyouverymuch. It was several years before we went up higher in the winter. One thing we did find out: after Christmas, places like Gatlinburg, TN are dead in the winter. We would often spend our January wedding anniversary up there, taking advantage of the lower rates on cabins and the drastic reduction in traffic.

[snowlover]

If you'll go to Hanover this year you have a lot of snow:
http://weather.ab-maps.com/USA/indiana/hanover/ (broken link)
Last time we were at the mountains we didn't had to clip too high - the snow was all over there. And the cold is fenomal - you have to be ready for this!

[Mountain Man]

Mt Mitchell is about 10 miles from where I grew up it can get nasty in winter but Its cool in the summer. We had a stream in front of our house and on the hottest days in the summer it didnt get above 75 degrees there.

[SunnyKayak]

I just cross this thread very interesting data.
Thanks for sharing

[mwood351]

I see the records here, but I wonder if anyone else from the upstate of South Carolina, or Western NC remembers that on or about the period of MAY (yes, I said MAY) 7 -9, 1992 it snowed somwhere between 60 and 72 inches on Mt. Pisgah...which, since there's no official reporting weather station up there, I doubt if this went into the "official" records.

I know, because I laid out of work on that Thursday and went up to the BR parkway at Hwy 215 to cross country ski, and got my vehicle stuck in the 3 feet plus of snow that was there already, midway thru the storm.

I did recently email a gentleman at the Pisgah Inn who corroborates my memory. He said "May 8th, 1992 we had 61 inches here...it rained in the valley." I had seen an account of this event somwhere on the internet at some point in time, but can't seem to locate it again!

[mm34b]

Originally Posted by mwood351

I see the records here, but I wonder if anyone else from the upstate of South Carolina, or Western NC remembers that on or about the period of MAY (yes, I said MAY) 7 -9, 1992 it snowed somwhere between 60 and 72 inches on Mt. Pisgah...which, since there's no official reporting weather station up there, I doubt if this went into the "official" records.

I know, because I laid out of work on that Thursday and went up to the BR parkway at Hwy 215 to cross country ski, and got my vehicle stuck in the 3 feet plus of snow that was there already, midway thru the storm.

I did recently email a gentleman at the Pisgah Inn who corroborates my memory. He said "May 8th, 1992 we had 61 inches here...it rained in the valley." I had seen an account of this event somwhere on the internet at some point in time, but can't seem to locate it again!

This is the only additional reference I could find:

May 7, 1992: Heavy late snowstorm in SE Appalachians. 57" at Mt. Pisgah, NC, 22" at Mt. Mitchell, NC, and 1" at Sky Valley, GA.

[eddy63]

I was looking for that same info when i came across your post....I remember following that storm on the weather channel and being jealous as hell because they were getting all that snow in May....As i recall the panhandle of Texas got a bunch of snow from this storm also.

[davidals]

Originally Posted by mwood351

I see the records here, but I wonder if anyone else from the upstate of South Carolina, or Western NC remembers that on or about the period of MAY (yes, I said MAY) 7 -9, 1992 it snowed somwhere between 60 and 72 inches on Mt. Pisgah...which, since there's no official reporting weather station up there, I doubt if this went into the "official" records.

I know, because I laid out of work on that Thursday and went up to the BR parkway at Hwy 215 to cross country ski, and got my vehicle stuck in the 3 feet plus of snow that was there already, midway thru the storm.

I did recently email a gentleman at the Pisgah Inn who corroborates my memory. He said "May 8th, 1992 we had 61 inches here...it rained in the valley." I had seen an account of this event somwhere on the internet at some point in time, but can't seem to locate it again!

I remember this. I can't remember if there was snow in Boone during this storm; I do remember an early May storm dropping about 4 inches in Boone in 1989, which - even to locals in Boone, was a little freaky.

[davidals]

Originally Posted by mm34b

I think it's interesting that the wettest place in NC is a just short drive from the driest. Love those mountains!

LOWEST TEMPERATURE OF RECORD

-34°F (below zero) Mount Mitchell, Yancey County January 21, 1985



WETTEST WEATHER STATION

91.72 inches Lake Toxaway, Transylvania County annual average

I remember the "coldest day" - I was in middle school. All-time lowest temperature records were set in Raleigh (-9), Charlotte (-5), Greensboro (-8) and Asheville (-16). The only paces that didn't go below zero that night Wilmington (5 degrees), Jacksonville and New Bern (1 degree), Cape Hatteras (6 degrees), and Cape Lookout (a toasty 17 degrees).

Some other temps around the state include -11 (Pittsboro), -1 (Fayetteville and Lumberton), -4 (Greenville, Clayon, and Elizabeth City), -2 (Nags Head), -8 (Hickory, Burlington, and Rocky Mount), -24 (Boone, West Jefferson, and Sparta), -22 (Waynesville), and -19 (Murphy and Franklin)

Some various single-storm snowfall records (excluding the mountains), post 1950, some of these may be all-time records:

Archdale: 20" (February 26-27, 2004)
Cape Hatteras: 13" (March 1-2, 1980) (doubt this is a record)
Charlotte: 18" (February 26-27, 2004) (doubt this is a record)
Elizabeth City: 23" (March 1-2, 1980)
Greenville: 16" (March 1-2, 1980)
Jacksonville: 17" (December 23, 1989)
Lake Waccamaw: 20" (December 23, 1989)
Murfreesboro: 27" (March 1-2, 1980 - deepest snow ever outside of the mountains)
Raleigh-Durham (airport): 21" (January 25, 2000)
Roanoke Rapids: 20" (March 1-2, 1980)
Rocky Mount: 22" (March 1-2, 1980)
Troy: 20" (January 25, 2000)
Wilmington: 15" (December 23, 1989)