Bomb Cyclone Delivers Historic Snowfall and Near-Blizzard Conditions Across the Carolinas

A storm that escalated fast

The snow started quietly Friday night. By Saturday, it was no longer quiet.

A rapidly intensifying bomb cyclone swept across the southeastern United States, locking much of the Carolinas and parts of southern Virginia into near-blizzard conditions. Winds strengthened by the hour. Snowfall rates surged. Visibility dropped until highways and neighborhoods blended into one white landscape.

By the time the storm peaked, coastal towns and inland cities were buried.

North Carolina buried under deep snow

When snowfall finally eased late Saturday night, the scope of the storm became clear. A wide corridor of 12 to 16 inches of snow stretched from Charlotte, NC, through High Point, NC. In higher terrain, totals climbed sharply.

Faust, NC, reported 22.5 inches, the highest total in the state. Peletier recorded 19.5 inches. Longwood measured 17.7 inches. Snow piled up faster than plows could clear it.

Charlotte logged 11 inches in a single day. It ranked as the city’s fourth-largest one-day snowfall and exceeded three times its usual yearly average. At the National Weather Service office in Morehead City, NC, 11.4 inches fell, the largest storm recorded there since measurements began in 1996.

Outer Banks and Virginia turn white and wild

As the storm pushed along the Atlantic coast, conditions worsened dramatically. From the Outer Banks of North Carolina to Norfolk, VA, snowfall combined with powerful winds to produce near-whiteout conditions.

Highway 12, the lifeline of the Outer Banks, was shut down. Drifts swallowed lanes. Blowing snow erased the horizon.

The National Weather Service described conditions in Cape Carteret, NC, as nearly whiteout. “Travel treacherous and potentially life-threatening especially if you become stranded," the agency warned.

Storm chaser Aaron Rigsby stood on the North Carolina coast watching snow whip across the shoreline. “When I tell people that I am going to be on the Outer Banks, I certainly do not expect it to be for snow," he said. “I expect it to be for a tropical system."

Roads fail as crashes pile up

Travel quickly became dangerous across the region. Snow and ice contributed to more than 1,000 crashes in North Carolina and another 300 in Virginia over the weekend.

Northeast of Charlotte, a massive pileup involving more than 100 vehicles shut down Interstate 85 near Kannapolis, NC. Cleanup stalled as freezing temperatures and lingering snow slowed response efforts. The National Guard was called in to help clear the highway.

In South Carolina, conditions followed a similar pattern. “Road conditions across the Upstate are steadily worsening, and weather-related incidents are piling up fast," said South Carolina Highway Patrol officer Mitchell Ridgeway. “Stay home if at all possible."

Cold air deepens the crisis

The bomb cyclone arrived while parts of the South were still recovering from a previous ice storm. Power restoration lagged behind the weather.

More than 100,000 customers across Mississippi and Tennessee remained without electricity as temperatures plunged again. In Asheville, NC, snow reached half a foot while winds gusted near 50 miles per hour. AccuWeather reported a RealFeel temperature of 27 degrees below zero Saturday night.

In Nashville, TN, icy roads slowed utility crews. Mayor Freddie O’Connell confirmed three storm-related deaths in the city.

“We know that too many Nashvillians will remain without power coming into another storm this weekend," O’Connell said, urging residents to seek safer shelter.

Snow reaches into Florida

The cold pressed far south. Snow flurries were reported at airports in Jacksonville, Tallahassee, and Marianna, FL. Along the Gulf Coast north of Tampa, flakes drifted through the air in Hernando and Citrus counties.

In Orlando, FL, theme park visitors walked through the morning cold as temperatures dipped into the upper 20s. Icicles formed on fountains, including the iconic globe at Universal Orlando.

In Clermont, FL, farmers worked through the night, spraying water on citrus trees and berry plants in an effort to protect crops from freezing temperatures.

A costly winter that is not finished

AccuWeather estimated losses from the earlier winter storm at $105 to $115 billion. Preliminary damage estimates from this bomb cyclone ranged from $13 to $15 billion.

“This bomb cyclone is the latest costly setback amid a relentless stretch of cold, snowy, icy and dangerous winter weather," said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter.

Communities remained snowbound. Power crews continued repairs. Roads stayed slick. The storm had passed, but its imprint remained deep across the Carolinas and the Southeast.