Did you hear? North Carolina is expecting some winter weather. Join us below in revisiting some of this century’s biggest snow and ice storms to hit the state, with photos, climatological info, and dispatches from our archives. From the light dustings to the truly devastating, North Carolinians have seen some things over the years, so stay safe, Triangle residents, keep warm, avoid driving, and do what you need to do to be prepared.
January 25, 2000
The Blizzard of 2000
Lore from this storm that saw more than 20 inches of snow dumped on Raleigh and Durham still haunts the local Reddit boards, and with good reason: Deemed one of “the most powerful storms on record” for the state by the National Weather Service, roads remained unnavigable for days, schools closed for two weeks, and 250,000 residents lost power. Making matters worse, the “Carolina Crusher” was poorly forecast and caught most North Carolinians by surprise.
INDY writers experiencing the snow at the time reminisced about childhoods making igloos and wished for a long stretch of snowy days spent under the covers reading All the King’s Men.
December 4-5, 2002
“Fran with Ice“
The catastrophic 1996 hurricane did a number on the psyches of the residents of the Tar Heel State, and the ice storm that arrived six years later, one of the worst the state has ever seen, was a devastating callback to the downed trees and days without power.
Similar to the number of casualties during Hurricane Fran, more than two dozen people were killed in the 2002 ice storm in the Carolinas and Virginia after a band of warm air transformed falling snow into freezing rain. More than half an inch of ice accumulated in the central part of the state, and by December 6 as many as 1.8 million people had lost electricity. Property damage was estimated to total $100 million.
In the weeks following the ice storm, the INDY reported on the public health emergencies it had triggered, including carbon monoxide poisoning that led to at least four deaths and cases of hypothermia from freezing indoor temperatures.
2003-2009
The Frayed Edges of Civilization
Winter weather was a little quieter during the post-2002 aughts, save a dusting of snow here and there. In what may feel familiar, INDY writers channeled their ire at Duke Energy’s slow response times and cursed local officials for a lack of advance work that, with “a half-inch of snow, give or take, brought us, collectively, to the frayed edges of civilization.” How bad were these weather events, really? Recollections may vary, but as a region, we’ve clearly decided that when it comes to the threat of ice and snow, it’s best to be overprepared. Cue the grocery store runs for bread, milk, and toilet paper.
2010
A Frosty Fat Tuesday and Wintry White Christmas
The year 2010 was bookended by delightful snow events. On the front end, INDY writers interspersed catching Canes games with ill-fated snowy treks to Krispy Kreme, dreams of red “Hot Now” signs dancing in their heads. And there’s something about a snowy landscape that makes the bleak midwinter holidays of Fat Tuesday and Valentine’s Day that much more sweet … or savory.
Come December, a historic, rare weather event bestowed a white Christmas on residents of nearly all 100 North Carolina counties. Snow began falling on Christmas Day, dropping more than 5 inches on the state’s central towns and cities, and even more in the mountains. Outside of this year, locals are hard-pressed to remember Christmas Day snow.
2014
The Snowpocalypse
It wasn’t even a storm for the ages, except that it gave rise to the most iconic, much-memed snow photo in state history. You know the one. Snow came down hard and fast, transforming Glenwood South into a sea of stranded vehicles and hellacious car fires. Fantasy blurred with reality; Stay Puft made an appearance. So did a Transformer and Godzilla. All told, 3.5 inches of snow hit the Triangle, capped off with freezing rain, and drivers caught on the road were marooned for hours.
2018
Dual Dustings
As in 2010, the beginning and end of the year 2018 was marked by snow events. A North America–wide blizzard prompted Gov. Roy Cooper to declare a state of emergency, with the eastern part of the state most impacted, with nearly 4 inches of snowfall. In the Triangle, we got our snow days and even a snow cream recipe from the INDY’s editor-in-chief at the time.
Then, in December, a moisture-rich system brought us snow days again, with 9 inches of snowfall blanketing Raleigh.
January 2022
Storms on Storms
The new year arrived with springlike temps, but then, for three weekends in a row, things got messy. Drivers along the I-95 corridor banded together after getting stranded, and we delved into the facts behind Raleigh’s much mythologized weather dome.
January 2026
The Not Blizzard of 2026
It all started when weather apps began calling for a foot or more of snow. In the ensuing week, Triangle forecasts shifted to freezing rain, prompting state officials to warn of “winter weather like [residents] haven’t seen in years” and “a massive disruption to people’s lives.”
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