Sunday could bring snow to the Triangle. But it won’t be much.
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- NWS forecasts light rain mixing with wet snow Sunday; limited accumulation possible.
- Accumulation mainly on elevated surfaces; most areas expect under one inch.
- Arctic front brings teens wind chills next week; black ice risk possible on Monday.
Update: For the latest forecast, click here.
The National Weather Service is forecasting some snow for central North Carolina on Sunday afternoon. Some accumulation, even. But don’t get your hopes up. Or your sleds out.
The NWS forecast as of Saturday predicts that light rain will fall Sunday morning, sometimes mixing with snow. Sunday afternoon will bring a period of wet snow that could accumulate — mainly on elevated surfaces.
Parts of Wake and Chatham counties may see a coating of snow stick on the ground, and snow accumulation is a possibility for all of Durham and Orange counties, according to the NWS. The amount of snow is unlikely to be more than an inch, but the chance of getting an inch or more has increased to 30-40% across the northern to northeast Piedmont.
What else does the forecast say?
Temperatures will reach a low of 31 degrees in Raleigh on Saturday night before rising to 38 degrees on Sunday, according to the NWS. NWS meteorologist Tom Green said, because temperatures on the ground will likely stay above freezing, the agency does not expect much accumulation beyond a couple tenths of an inch.
“Even if we have air temperatures that are below freezing that would allow the formation of snow, we’re not expecting the ground to necessarily end up falling that much below freezing,” Green said.
Cold arctic air will roll through central North Carolina early next week, with temperatures falling to 23 degrees Sunday night and as low as 19 degrees on Tuesday night. Wind chills from the cold front will make temperatures feel as low as teens on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.
Despite the freezing temperatures, the NWS does not expect any precipitation until Thursday. The highest temperatures between Saturday and Wednesday will hover between the high 30s and mid 40s.
On Saturday afternoon, the NWS’ Hazardous Weather Outlook warned of the possibility of Sunday’s rain creating black ice on the roads Monday morning.
Sunday’s snow would be the Triangle’s first of 2026 and second of the winter season. In early December, snow was recorded in Raleigh, Durham and Wake Forest.
This story was originally published January 17, 2026 at 12:09 PM.
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