‘Gnarly storm’ brings snow, gusting winds and flooding to Triangle — all in one day
Over a few hours Monday, the Triangle saw thunder, lightning, pounding rain, gusting winds, sunshine, sleet and snow — everything but frogs.
The head-turning weather spared the region serious damage or injury, but commuters came crawling out of post-holiday sleep to find blackouts and flashing power.
Duke Power showed more than 12,000 outages around Durham and Chapel Hill, and more than 40,000 in the Triad.
After days of record-breaking heat, a low-pressure system swept into to combine with remaining warm air — a collision that spawned winds strong enough to knock down trees and power lines around Mebane and Fuquay-Varina.
‘A multi-hazard event’
The National Weather Service reported gusts up to 49 mph at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Heavy winds damaged roofs and collapsed a barn around the Harnett-Moore county line.
“Pretty gnarly storm, to be honest with you,” said Nick Luchetti, meteorologist. “A very robust low-pressure system just happened to develop in a perfect location to lead to that multi-hazard event.”
The weather service issued a flash-flood warning early Monday as the Triangle absorbed 3 to 4 inches of rain.
Gauges showed Crabtree Creek 5 feet above the greenway level at U.S. 1 in Raleigh.
Record-setting rainfall fell at RDU with 2.16 inches, and also at Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro with 2.07 inches.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Office posted pictures of flooded soccer fields in Chapel Hill, warning, “Please stay home!”
Schoolchildren stood at bus stops under umbrellas on their first day back from the Christmas break.
‘All before lunch’
While the morning started with temperatures in the low 40s, the mercury dropped toward freezing levels by 11 a.m., when flakes started falling in downtown Raleigh.
“Welcome to Raleigh, NC,” tweeted Chris Bunting, who works at Millbrook High School, “where the weather forecast calls for tornadoes, flash flooding, and snow … and that’s all before lunch today!”
Snow had already coated the roads in Roxboro, the Person County town that rarely escapes a dusting.
“It was 60 degrees when I came to work this morning,” Luchetti said.
But as a high-pressure system bears down from the north, bringing cold air, the Triangle can brace for another hazard heading into Tuesday:
Ice.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 12:00 PM.