A Winter Blanket Covers North Carolina

A potent winter storm in late January 2026 left a lot of North Carolina coping with important snow accumulations. Although the state isn’t any stranger to snow, such widespread protection is uncommon.

This picture, acquired on February 2 with the MODIS (Reasonable Decision Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite tv for pc, reveals a virtually steady blanket of white stretching from mountain cities within the west to beachfront cities within the east. In keeping with the North Carolina State Local weather Workplace, measurable snow fell in all 100 counties for the primary time in additional than a decade.

Snowfall in North Carolina usually requires chilly air funneled in from the north to mix with moisture provided by a low-pressure system. Throughout the January 31 weekend occasion, Arctic air from earlier within the week lingered throughout the state as a storm approached alongside a near-shore observe, setting the stage for widespread snow.

Snow totals exceeded a foot in a number of the state’s western, mountainous areas, following a number of years with out important snowfall occasions, although some places equivalent to Asheville noticed smaller quantities. The storm even pushed south into Greenville, South Carolina, within the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the place the downtown space noticed about 5 inches (13 centimeters) by the night of January 31, in keeping with the Nationwide Climate Service.

Within the Piedmont area, the hilly central a part of the state, Charlotte acquired almost a foot of snow—probably the most since 2004—whereas Raleigh noticed a lighter accumulation of two.8 inches, in keeping with the state local weather heart.

Even coastal components of the state traded brown sandy seashores for a blanket of white, with greater than a foot reported in components of Carteret County. Beaufort, a mainland city within the southern Outer Banks space, skilled heavy blowing snow. Barely inland, Greenville acquired 14 inches, an quantity not seen since a big storm in March 1980.

Although showing serene from house, the storm posed actual hazards on the bottom. Harmful street situations snarled site visitors and prompted collisions, in keeping with native information studies, whereas coastal areas noticed excessive winds and waves. Overwash on Freeway 12 within the Outer Banks coated components of the street in standing water and sand, whereas a number of houses alongside the shore of Hatteras Island collapsed into the ocean.  

NASA Earth Observatory photographs by Michala Garrison, utilizing MODIS information from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview. Story by Kathryn Hansen.

• The Charlotte Observer (2026, January 31) I-85 north of Charlotte reopens after 100+ automobiles caught from collision and snow. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• Island Free Press (2026, February 1) Ocean overwash reported Sunday morning on Hatteras, Ocracoke Islands. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• Nationwide Climate Service Charleston SC (2026, February 1) January 31 – February 1, 2026 Winter Storm. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• Nationwide Climate Service Newport/Morehead Metropolis NC (2026, February 1) Complete Snowfall Experiences Via Midday. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• The New York Instances (2026, February 1) A ‘Historic’ Snowfall Hits the Carolinas. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• North Carolina State Local weather Workplace Giant-Scale Winter Patterns. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• North Carolina State Local weather Workplace (2026, February 2) Fast Response: A Statewide Snowstorm for the Ages. Accessed February 5, 2026.
• The Washington Publish (2026, February 1) ‘Historic storm’ delivers largest snowfall in a long time for North Carolina. Accessed February 5, 2026.