• Hello, please take a minute to check out our awesome content, contributed by the wonderful members of our community. We hope you'll add your own thoughts and opinions by making a free account!

Wintry April Fools? (1-2) Surprise Storm

Big early April snows that occurred in the SE and that were major in places that weren’t just in the mountains include 1915 and 1987. Raleigh got a top 10 snow in 1915 with 10”! 1987 and 1915 were both during El Niño just like 2019.
Actually, the 10” of snow at Raleigh in 1915 is tied for 6th biggest on record if I’m not mistaken.
 
Last edited:
Charlotte measurable snow in April:

1. 1880: 3.5” on 4/8-9 from 0.49” liquid and it never got below 33. Highs were in the 50-55 range those 2 days and was 78 just two days earlier!

2. 1881: 0.1” on 4/1 from 0.01” liquid; El Niño

3. 1904: 0.8” on 4/20 from 0.26” liquid; high of 52 and low of 32 that day; high the day before was 72

4. 1915: 0.6” on 4/3 from 0.09” liquid; low was 32 and high was 42; El Niño

5. 1982: 0.1” on 4/8 from 0.76” liquid; lowest was 35 and high was 47;

So, over the last 100 years, Charlotte has gotten measurable snow only once in April and that was only 0.1” (in 1982).
 
Even a dusting would double my total snow output for the season considering that almost all of what I picked up in early Dec was sleet
Well, Webb, is this one really going to happen or is it another OTS whiff for us? Do you think it has legs? I can see some snow-islands in the precip shield, but I can't wrap my head around a major storm this late.
 
According to a history book on Mecklenburg County, Charlotte received five inches of snow from the April 15, 1849 snowstorm. The S.C. Department of Natural Resources says 6 inches of snow was measured in that storm in Columbia. David Ludlum in his book on Early American Winters says four inches of snow fell in Fayetteville, NC and around six inches of snow was measured near Wilmington, NC. The Mecklenburg County history book account also mentions that it was not until mid-summer 1849 that trees made a "respectable shade." Sounds similar to what happened to the trees after the April 2007 freeze.
 
Back
Top