Weather News

Remember when it snowed in the Triangle? Photos show some of the region’s wild storms

By Scott Sharpe

There once was a time when Triangle residents would wipe grocery stores clean of their milk and bread.

Kids would anxiously wait for a snow day announcement, ready to bring out their sleds to the nearest hill. (Their parents? Not so much.)

We’d wake up to the peaceful sound of flurries falling on a blanket of white snow and grab rulers to measure how high it would get.

Raleigh hasn’t seen any measurable snow since Jan. 29, 2022, The News & Observer reports. And with the trend being warmer, wetter winters, The N&O’s Martha Quillin writes that a snowmaggedon is not likely to happen any time soon.

We know not everyone loves snow. It’s inconvenient, potentially dangerous and is a ugly, murky mess when it melts. For every snow day, there’s a snow makeup day. That Glenwood Avenue snowpocalypse meme that circulates every year? In reality, that wasn’t fun at all.

But for those who channel their inner kid wishing for a snow day, these photos of past snowstorms in Raleigh and throughout the Triangle region are for you.

The Great Snow of 1899 in Raleigh. From the General Negative Collection. Courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.
The Great Snow of 1899 in Raleigh. From the General Negative Collection. Courtesy of the State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC.
A dramatic sunrise rolling a 1996 snow storm seen from the NC 86 bridge over I-40 in Orange County.
A dramatic sunrise rolling a 1996 snow storm seen from the NC 86 bridge over I-40 in Orange County. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
With his toboggan pulled down over his face, Evan Thompson tries to catch some of Monday’s large snowflakes in his mouth in 1998.
With his toboggan pulled down over his face, Evan Thompson tries to catch some of Monday’s large snowflakes in his mouth in 1998. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Joanne Smith looks up from her makeshift snow shelter of a plastic grocery bag as she makes her way to her car in the afternoon snow and ice Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002.
Joanne Smith looks up from her makeshift snow shelter of a plastic grocery bag as she makes her way to her car in the afternoon snow and ice Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Sledders go airborne after piloting their mat over a ramp made of packed snow at Bond Park in Cary in 2010.
Sledders go airborne after piloting their mat over a ramp made of packed snow at Bond Park in Cary in 2010. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Heavy snow fell at a skating rink in Raleigh in 2010.
Heavy snow fell at a skating rink in Raleigh in 2010. Robert Willett ROBERT WILLETT-rwillett@newsobse
Mike Beaman climbs out of the igloo he built from blocks made by packing snow in the a recycling container in the days following a storm that dumped two feet of snow on the Triangle in one night in 2000.
Mike Beaman climbs out of the igloo he built from blocks made by packing snow in the a recycling container in the days following a storm that dumped two feet of snow on the Triangle in one night in 2000. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
A four-wheel drive pickup truck makes its way by cross-country skier Blanche Haning on Duraleigh Road in 2000.
A four-wheel drive pickup truck makes its way by cross-country skier Blanche Haning on Duraleigh Road in 2000. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Mike Carlson tries to dig his way through a wall of snow and ice that was plowed in front of his driveway on Maynard Road in Cary in 2000.
Mike Carlson tries to dig his way through a wall of snow and ice that was plowed in front of his driveway on Maynard Road in Cary in 2000. Scott Sharpe
Chris Gass,11, separates from his sled after going airborne over a jump while sledding down a hill at Bond Park in Cary in 2002.
Chris Gass,11, separates from his sled after going airborne over a jump while sledding down a hill at Bond Park in Cary in 2002. Scott Sharpe Scott Sharpe
Martha Church walks her Lhasa Apso “Tuey” on Kendlewick Drive in Cary. Tuey was able to walk only in the ruts made by vehicles through the unplowed subdivision streets. Most subdivision streets throughout the Triangle remained impassable for most vehicles in 2000.
Martha Church walks her Lhasa Apso “Tuey” on Kendlewick Drive in Cary. Tuey was able to walk only in the ruts made by vehicles through the unplowed subdivision streets. Most subdivision streets throughout the Triangle remained impassable for most vehicles in 2000. Scott Sharpe Scott Sharpe
Tow truck operators try to free a vehicle from a guardrail after it slid of of westbound I-40 in Cary, NC Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, 2014 after early-morning snow and ice surprised many drivers on their morning commutes.
Tow truck operators try to free a vehicle from a guardrail after it slid of of westbound I-40 in Cary, NC Tuesday morning, Feb. 24, 2014 after early-morning snow and ice surprised many drivers on their morning commutes. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Kevin Miller looks out of the passenger window of his friend’s car as they sit in stuck traffic Wednesday afternoon Feb. 12, 2014 after snow and ice caused massive traffic jams in Raleigh, NC.
Kevin Miller looks out of the passenger window of his friend’s car as they sit in stuck traffic Wednesday afternoon Feb. 12, 2014 after snow and ice caused massive traffic jams in Raleigh, NC. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Nathan Stanley, 12 , of Abington, Va. runs through a snowdrift in Nags Head, N.C. Thursday, Jan.4, 2018.
Nathan Stanley, 12 , of Abington, Va. runs through a snowdrift in Nags Head, N.C. Thursday, Jan.4, 2018. Chuck Liddy File photo
Dan Neil, right, and Nash Turley, top of frame, assist Ted Cashion, in truck, on Everett Avenue in Raleigh.
Dan Neil, right, and Nash Turley, top of frame, assist Ted Cashion, in truck, on Everett Avenue in Raleigh. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
N.C. State University student Fahad Alsuwaidi, 21, works on two snowmen in the middle of a large field on Dix Hill in Raleigh, NC Thursday afternoon, Feb. 13, 2014. Alsuwaidi, who is from the United Arab Emirates, was experiencing his first snow.
N.C. State University student Fahad Alsuwaidi, 21, works on two snowmen in the middle of a large field on Dix Hill in Raleigh, NC Thursday afternoon, Feb. 13, 2014. Alsuwaidi, who is from the United Arab Emirates, was experiencing his first snow. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
Sledders make their way across a snowy field at Dix Park Friday morning, Feb. 21, 2020 after a storm coated parts of the area with 1-3 inches of snow.
Sledders make their way across a snowy field at Dix Park Friday morning, Feb. 21, 2020 after a storm coated parts of the area with 1-3 inches of snow. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com
A truck with a snow plow attached makes its way eastbound on US 70 near the intersection with I-540 in 2022.
A truck with a snow plow attached makes its way eastbound on US 70 near the intersection with I-540 in 2022. Scott Sharpe ssharpe@newsobserver.com

This story was originally published January 24, 2024 at 11:17 AM.

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