Snow is possible in the Triangle twice this week. Here’s when we might see flurries
We don’t often envy the states in the Upper Midwest or Northeast, but for several years they’ve hogged all the snow, more than 3 feet in some places just over the past Thanksgiving weekend.
Perhaps sensing our jealousy, the National Weather Service has tossed central North Carolina at least the possibility of a flurry twice in this week’s forecast.
These really are holiday leftovers, chances of wintry weather that come as a result of the Artic high-pressure system that buried those places to the north and another system on the way.
But we haven’t seen snow since January 29, 2022. We’ll take what we can get.
Our first shot at snow, early Tuesday morning
Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill could see snow flurries between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 3.
Chances are slightly higher to our west and south, where there might be a little more moisture in the air. Greensboro and Asheboro could see snow showers before 1 a.m and the chance of flurries between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., with no significant accumulation expected.
The price: Coldest temperatures of the season so far
Any flurries that come overnight Monday will be riding on a high-pressure system that will bring cold temperatures and some wind.
Lows Monday night in the Triangle will be around 23 degrees, the National Weather Service says, which would be at least 10 degrees colder than normal for this area in early December. Winds will pick up after midnight, and will be between 6 mph and 9 mph on Tuesday, meaning a wind chill possibly in the teens for school students waiting at bus stops.
Tuesday’s high will top out around 43 degrees, forecasters say.
Tuesday night’s lows will drop back to around 22 degrees, so the morning of Wednesday, Dec. 4, will start out chilly with a 5 to 10 mph wind. Forecasters are calling for a high on Wednesday of around 47 degrees.
Thursday’s high is expected to reach 58 degrees, but then another system will be on its way for the weekend.
“People who have not yet made winter preparations for insulating and vulnerable outdoor garden operations in the interior Southeast and along the mid-Atlantic coast should do so as soon as possible to avoid damage from the upcoming cold blast,” warned an AccuWeather report issued Monday afternoon.
Second shot at snow: Late Saturday night
The forecast at the end of the week is less certain, the Weather Service says, and whether central North Carolina gets any flurries as a second front moves through is a matter of dispute between computer models.
Some show any moisture dropping out of the system by the time it’s past the Appalachian mountains. Others show some moisture coming up from the Gulf, but traveling along with warmer temperatures that would reduce the likelihood of snow.
But some European models Monday morning said conditions could line up so that central North Carolina, especially areas to the north, could see light snow or flurries late Saturday night or early Sunday.
This story was originally published December 2, 2024 at 11:50 AM.
