Latest forecast on snow chances for Raleigh and eastern NC on Tuesday. What to expect
NOTE: Please read our Tuesday, Jan. 21, story for the latest update.
A weaker-than-expected low-pressure system has thrown rock salt on Raleigh and central North Carolina’s chances for appreciable snow this week, but areas of the coast could get several inches.
Meanwhile, bitterly cold temperatures will prevail most of the week.
Could it still snow in Raleigh and the Triangle?
Local forecasts for Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill as of Monday, Jan. 20, show a slight chance for snow Tuesday evening into early Wednesday morning. The best chance will be between 7 p.m. and 1 a.m., the National Weather Service said.
The chance of precipitation is 30%, forecasters say. Accumulation would be less than a half-inch, but that can be enough to make roads slick.
What happened to the Triangle’s snow?
The National Weather Service has said for a week that the forecast was uncertain because so many factors were involved. The two key elements required to bring snow to the Triangle were the dry Arctic air that started moving in as expected Sunday night with a high-pressure system coming in from the west, and moisture from a low-pressure system coming out of the Gulf.
By Sunday, forecasters said it was clear that the low would not have the power to move far enough north to produce more than a dusting of snow in Raleigh.
The coastal forecast was in flux throughout the day Sunday. By the time of the evening update, the National Weather Service said it had the most confidence in a model showing the moisture would move farther east toward the coast, then north.
In that scenario, Beaufort, Manteo and Hatteras have the greatest potential for snow, with 4 to 6 inches possible, according to the forecast map. An area from Wilmington to Elizabeth City could get up to 2 inches., the map shows.
Snow is rare on the North Carolina Outer Banks, but there have been some memorable storms. The record was a December 1989 storm that dropped 13.3 inches on Hatteras and Ocracoke, according to the Island Free Press.
There’s a second chance of snow in NC on Thursday
Forecasters said Monday that another system moving toward NC from the south later in the week also could bring wintry precipitation, but that would likely be confined to the southeastern part of the state as well.
Over 24 hours beginning around 7 a.m. Thursday, there is a slight chance Wilmington could see rain, freezing rain, snow or sleet, forecasters say. The Weather Service says that system is unlikely to bring frozen precipitation as far north as Raleigh.
Unchanged: Cold temperature warnings
The Arctic air that blew in late Sunday is expected to linger through Thursday. Highs Monday through Thursday across central and Eastern North Carolina will be in the low to mid-30s, with nighttime lows in the teens to the 20s.
Winds will make it feel even colder, especially on Monday and Tuesday, forecasters said.
This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 9:13 AM.
