Rare Christmas Snow Blankets Eastern North Carolina | Eastern North Carolina Now

    A rare Christmas season snow began blanketing eastern North Carolina early this morning around 3:00 am, December 26, 2010, at this reporting station just north of Washington, North Carolina in the suburbs known as Mac'swood. The snow began with the air temperature at 35 degrees. By 9:00 am the air temperature had dropped to 32 degrees, with air temperatures for the day having a forecast high of 33 degrees.

    The fine, wet snow, searching for a lower temperature, had little trouble sticking in this unusually cold December, which had already caused the ground to build a slight permafrost, mere inches deep. The forecast for the day is a high of 33 degrees and a low of 21 degrees tonight, the snow continuing by fluctuating between light to heavy fall totals throughout the day and into the early evening. This is the first Christmas Snow in eastern North Carolina since 1989, when the Beaufort County Region got 9 to 11 inches of snow two days before Christmas, and some of the coldest 7 days in the recorded history of the region.

    The impetus of this unusual storm is a the center of a low pressure system off the south central North Carolina coast, with a this unusually strong system have the capacity to pull the colder Artic air further south over the top of the warmer moist air over the Atlantic Ocean, where the low pressure exists and is moving up the Atlantic coast. We will continue to follow this local story as it progresses.
    The snow storm as evidenced by the snow hillside here in Mac'swood, northeast suburb of Washington, NC. Image made at 10.21 am above. What a difference an hour makes. The same Mac'swood hillside - the image made at 11.24 am below.

    At 12.56 pm, the temperature in the Washington area is still hovering around 32 degrees. Most regional reporting stations are slightly lower with the Greenville reporting station at 28 degrees. The low pressure system is now located off the northeast North Carolina coast and the snow that may continue will be of a limited nature and come from the backside of the system.
    The Crepe Myrtles ladened with snow: Above. The rear of my house, the deck where we kept Christmas the day before, as well as all throughout the house: Below.

    The low point of my property is my pond full of water. With the temperatures near freezing today and projected to be 21 degrees tonight, it should be frozen over by morning: Above. The neighbor's house on the hill across the pond: Below.

    I cut a large Cedar Tree from my yard for our family Christmas Tree, because it was free and times are tough for all of us. My wife hated it. I went out of town for a few days, and when I returned, the Cedar was in the compost. She replaced it with a small "Charlie Brown" Fir tree, which was cool. It was cheap. When my wife saw this picture, she said, "I like the way this Cedar is decorated, and I like it in our yard, not our house." Good point: Above. Winter Wonderland and beyond: Below.

    Do not go out in this weather unless you know how to drive in the snow. It is really simple to drive in an area like Beaufort County (relatively flat terrain, low traffic): 1. Keep a proper, safe distance between you and the car in front of you, 2. Do not drive too fast, 3. If you slide, turn into the slide (this is rare if you follow the first two rules). If you think I do not know what I am talking about: Do us all a favor - Don't go out in this weather: Above. Taking a stroll in downtown proper to witness the deserted streets amid this blustery, snow swept day: Below.

    At approximately 2:30 pm, as I made my way around Washington's downtown, the snow began to blow from above. As I took a few pictures, I estimated that a mean average of 4 inches had fallen all about the area. The under layer was slightly melting but the upper snow was becoming dry, as the temperature had dropped to around 31 degrees, making the powder quite perfect for its high-wire balancing act upon the branches and wires all around Beaufort County.
    Standing in the middle of a deserted Main Street in Washington, NC, I shoot east: Above. And then I shoot west: Below.


    This story's natural progression can best be served through my pictorial series, "Every Picture Tells a Story ... Don't It."
Go Back


Leave a Guest Comment

Your Name or Alias
Your Email Address ( your email address will not be published)
Enter Your Comment ( no code or urls allowed, text only please )




Popular area Bishop invited to TBN The Region Carolina Chocolate Festival

HbAD0

 
Back to Top