Winter Storm recap Jan 29-30, 2010
Okay so how did I do on my forecast this past weekends winter storm? End up not too bad I did go too high on the my snow/sleet totals but overall it ended up being pretty good
The last forecast Friday afternoon before the snow hit I went with 3-6” for Metro Charlotte. This was a slight adjustment down from my early morning assessment of 4-7”. The Airport officially had 3” but the northern park of Mecklenburg county had 4-5” and the southern tip 2-3”. So my error rate was about 33% or 1-2” for the county but this was location dependent and is some spots we were right on.
Overall not too bad for a very complex storm which ended up being a sleet storm like we expected, the one thing that was a surprise was the early arrival of a heavy band of snow around 5pm Friday evening. I didn’t expect the event to start until closer to 9-10 pm. Plus I feel like we had a good handle on the large and lasting impact this storm had on our entire viewing area. I ended up giving this a 6
on the Snow meter which was just about right considering the impact on my viewers. This also marked the highest level the meter has been at this winter.
Preliminary snow total map
Satellite picture of snow cover
Select totals
********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************
LOCATION STORM TOTAL TIME/DATE COMMENTS
SNOWFALL OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
NORTH CAROLINA
...ALEXANDER COUNTY...
BETHLEHEM 6.0 1132 AM 1/30
...BUNCOMBE COUNTY...
BLACK MOUNTAIN 6.8 1039 AM 1/30
...CALDWELL COUNTY...
LENOIR 8.0 136 PM 1/30 6 SSW
LENOIR 7.0 904 AM 1/30 SNOW + SLEET ACCUM
GRANITE FALLS 6.5 1025 PM 1/30
GRANITE FALLS 6.0 1227 PM 1/30
...CATAWBA COUNTY...
NEWTON 9.3 934 AM 1/30 STILL SLEETING
CLAREMONT 9.0 844 AM 1/30
CONOVER 9.0 428 PM 1/30
CATAWBA 8.0 1019 AM 1/30 3 N
CATAWBA 8.0 314 PM 1/30
CONOVER 8.0 832 AM 1/30
...CLEVELAND COUNTY...
WACO 6.0 830 AM 1/30
POLKVILLE 5.0 1004 AM 1/30 3.5 SE
...DAVIE COUNTY...
SMITH GROVE 7.3 233 PM 1/30
COOLEEMEE 6.5 343 PM 1/30
...HAYWOOD COUNTY...
CANTON 9.0 857 AM 1/30 5 S + 1/4" SLEET
...HENDERSON COUNTY...
MILLS RIVER 14.3 1235 PM 1/30
FLETCHER 10.0 1045 AM 1/30 6 ESE
...JACKSON COUNTY...
BALSAM 8.0 243 PM 1/30 4 SW
TUCKASEGEE 7.5 830 PM 1/29 POWER LOST
...LINCOLN COUNTY...
LINCOLNTON 10.5 210 PM 1/30 5 N
LINCOLNTON 6.0 230 PM 1/30
...MACON COUNTY...
EAST FRANKLIN 5.0 1004 AM 1/30 4 E
...MADISON COUNTY...
MARS HILL 12.0 1014 AM 1/30 4 NW
REVERE 6.0 1025 AM 1/30
...MCDOWELL COUNTY...
OLD FORT 12.0 200 PM 1/30
MARION 8.0 1030 AM 1/30
...MECKLENBURG COUNTY...
CHARLOTTE 2.0 405 PM 1/30 S. CHARLOTTE HWY 51
...MITCHELL COUNTY...
LITTLE SWITZERLAND 10.3 145 PM 1/30
SPRUCE PINE 5.0 858 AM 1/30
...ROWAN COUNTY...
CLEVELAND 7.0 920 AM 1/30
SALISBURY 7.0 833 AM 1/30 5 W
...RUTHERFORD COUNTY...
SUNSHINE 9.5 137 PM 1/30
DANIELTOWN 5.5 1204 PM 1/30
HARRIS 3.0 330 PM 1/30
...SWAIN COUNTY...
BRYSON CITY 8.0 1224 PM 1/30 12.5 N (NEWFOUND GAP)
BRYSON CITY 3.0 1158 AM 1/30
CHEROKEE 2.0 1216 PM 1/30 3.5 N
...TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY...
PENROSE 13.0 1145 AM 1/30
...UNION COUNTY...
MONROE 1.7 410 PM 1/30 1 N
...YANCEY COUNTY...
CONCORD 5.0 1028 AM 1/30 8.5 W
SOUTH CAROLINA
...GREENVILLE COUNTY...
GOWENSVILLE 2.3 845 AM 1/30 3 SSW SLEET/SNOW COMBO
...PICKENS COUNTY...
NINE TIMES 0.5 253 PM 1/30
...SPARTANBURG COUNTY...
CONVERSE 5.0 1230 AM 1/30 7 NE SPARTANBURG
CHESNEE 4.5 808 AM 1/30 4 W + 1/4" ICE/SLEET
LANDRUM 4.5 520 PM 1/29 NWS EMPLOYEE
INMAN 4.0 817 AM 1/30 FREEZING RAIN NOW
...UNION COUNTY...
BUFFALO 1.0 423 AM 1/30 POP REPORT
SANTUC 0.3 1158 AM 1/30 ALL SLEET WITH SOME ICE
...YORK COUNTY...
CLOVER 2.0 1200 PM 1/30 SNOW/SLEET/ICE
***********************SNOW ON GROUND***********************
LOCATION SNOW TIME/DATE COMMENTS
ON GROUND OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
NORTH CAROLINA
...BUNCOMBE COUNTY...
WEST ASHEVILLE 7.5 130 AM 1/30 LEICESTER HIGHWAY
...MADISON COUNTY...
MARS HILL 10.0 1014 AM 1/30 4 NW
***********************STORM TOTAL ICE***********************
LOCATION STORM TOTAL TIME/DATE COMMENTS
ICE OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
GEORGIA
...HABERSHAM COUNTY...
CLARKESVILLE 0.25 1000 AM 1/30 5 ENE TREES DOWN
CLARKESVILLE 0.25 330 PM 1/30 POWER OUTAGES
...RABUN COUNTY...
TIGER 0.25 1030 AM 1/30 TREE LIMBS BREAKING
SOUTH CAROLINA
...SPARTANBURG COUNTY...
INMAN 0.10 817 AM 1/30 FREEZING RAIN NOW
*********************** SNOWFALL REPORTS ***********************
STORM TIME/DATE COMMENTS
LOCATION SNOWFALL OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
SOUTH CAROLINA
...LANCASTER COUNTY...
NORTHERN TIP 1.5 830 1/30 AN ESTIMATED 1 TO 2 INCHES
OF SNOW AND SLEET AT US
HWY 521 AND HWY 160.
NORTHERN TIP 3.5 1330 1/30 COUNTY EM REPORTED 3 TO 4 INCHES
OF A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND SLEET IN
THE EXTREME NORTHERN TIP OF THE
COUNTY. NUMEROUS ACCIDENTS
OVERNIGHT AND THIS MORNING.
*********************** SLEET REPORTS ***********************
STORM TIME/DATE COMMENTS
LOCATION TOTAL OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
SOUTH CAROLINA
...CHESTERFIELD COUNTY...
PAGELAND 1.5 940 1/30 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF
SLEET ON GROUND. SOME
ICE IN TREES. SLICK
ROADS.
...LANCASTER COUNTY...
LANCASTER 1.5 1330 1/30 COUNTY EM REPORTED 1 TO 2 INCHES
OF SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE
TOWN OF LANCASTER. ICY ROADS.
RICH HILL CROSSROADS 1 1330 1/30 COUNTY EM REPORTED 1 INCH OF SLEET
IN THE RICH HILL AREA.
...NEWBERRY COUNTY...
WHITMIRE 1.5 930 1/30 1 TO 1.5 INCHES OF SLEET
ON GROUND. ICE IN TREES.
...SUMTER COUNTY...
SUMTER T 1730 1/30 SLEET REPORTED BY
SPOTTER.
******************** FREEZING RAIN REPORTS ********************
ICE TIME/DATE COMMENTS
LOCATION ACCRETION OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT
SOUTH CAROLINA
...CHESTERFIELD COUNTY...
CHERAW 1015 1/30 TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
DUE TO ICE. POWER OUTAGES
IN CHERAW. NUMEROUS TRAFFIC
ACCIDENTS
COUNTYWIDE 1130 1/30 LYNCHES RIVER ELECTRIC COOP
REPORTED A FEW POWER OUTAGES
THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY. MAINLY
DUE TO LIMBS ALONG WITH A FEW
TREES DOWN ON POWER LINES.
MCBEE 1000 1/30 TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN
IN THE MCBEE TO LAKE
ROBINSON VICINITY
