Have you heard of the record-breaking snow storm that hit Winston-Salem in 1927?
On March 3, 1927, a massive storm hit Winston-Salem. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) officially recorded 16 inches in the city, but legend has it, the storm dumped more snow in some areas. There have been reports of up to 20 inches of snow in the Piedmont Triad.
In more recent years, you may remember the storm that dropped 12 inches of snow on Dec. 9, 2018 (up to 14.5 inches in some areas). According to NOAA, it’s the third-greatest snowfall measured in Winston-Salem. This storm closed schools and left over 200,000 North Carolinians without power.
Here are some more snowtable facts about The Twin City’s relationship with snow:
Greatest snowfall totals
- 16.0 inches on March 2, 1927
- 14.3 inches on Dec. 17, 1930
- 12.0 inches on Dec. 9, 2018
- 11.1 inches on March 9, 1960
- 10.7 inches on March 1, 1969
Winston-Salem received about 0.5 inches of snow on Dec. 3, 2024, its first snowfall since 2022.
Photo via Santiago O.
The earliest snowfall
Winston-Salem has seen snow as early as Nov. 9 on two occasions: in 1968 + 1971. Both of those storms dropped less than an inch of snowfall. However, North Carolina has seen flakes fall much earlier in the year. The earliest report was on Sept. 30, 2011, on Beech Mountain in Western NC.
The latest snowfall
The latest recorded snowfall in Winston-Salem occurred on April 8, 1916, when a hefty 9.1 inches fell. In the past century, the latest snowfall was on March 30, 2003, when 1.2 inches fell.
Before you start stockpiling ingredients for your holiday dinner, Winston-Salem is unlikely to be impacted by snow. The city’s chance of a white Christmas (1+ inches on the ground) is roughly 3% — though it’s not impossible, the city has already seen a dusting this year.
