<Tr> <Th> Raleigh </Th> <Td> 3.5 inches (89 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.5 inches (89 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.7 inches (94 mm) </Td> <Td> 2.8 inches (71 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.8 inches (97 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.6 inches (91 mm) </Td> <Td> 4.4 inches (110 mm) </Td> <Td> 4.4 inches (110 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.1 inches (79 mm) </Td> <Td> 3 inches (76 mm) </Td> <Td> 2.9 inches (74 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.1 inches (79 mm) </Td> <Td> 41.8 inches (1,060 mm) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Wilmington </Th> <Td> 3.6 inches (91 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.5 inches (89 mm) </Td> <Td> 4.3 inches (110 mm) </Td> <Td> 2.9 inches (74 mm) </Td> <Td> 4.3 inches (110 mm) </Td> <Td> 5.4 inches (140 mm) </Td> <Td> 7.9 inches (200 mm) </Td> <Td> 7 inches (180 mm) </Td> <Td> 5.6 inches (140 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.3 inches (84 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.3 inches (84 mm) </Td> <Td> 3.5 inches (89 mm) </Td> <Td> 55 inches (1,400 mm) </Td> </Tr> <P> Snow in North Carolina is seen on a regular basis in the mountains . North Carolina averages 5 inches (130 mm) of snow a year . However, this also varies greatly across the state . Along the coast, most areas register less than 2 inches (51 mm) per year while the state capital, Raleigh averages 7.5 inches (190 mm). Farther west in the Piedmont - Triad, the average grows to approximately 9 inches (230 mm). The Charlotte area averages approximately 6.5 inches (170 mm). The mountains in the west act as a barrier, preventing most snowstorms from entering the Piedmont . When snow does make it past the mountains, it is usually light and is seldom on the ground for more than two or three days . However, several storms have dropped 18 inches (460 mm) or more of snow within normally warm areas . The 1993 Storm of the Century that lasted from March 11 to March 15 affected locales from Canada to Central America, and brought a significant amount of snow to North Carolina . Newfound Gap received more than 36 inches (0.91 m) of snow with drifts more than 5 feet (1.5 m), while Mount Mitchell measured over 4 feet (1.2 m) of snow with drifts to 14 feet (4.3 m). Most of the northwestern part of the state received somewhere between 2 feet (0.61 m) an 3 feet (0.91 m) of snow . </P> <P> Another significant snowfall hit the Raleigh area in January 2000 when more than 20 inches (510 mm) of snow fell . There was also a heavy snowfall totaling 18 inches (460 mm) that hit the Wilmington area on December 22 - 23, 1989 . This storm affected only the Southeastern US coast, as far south as Savannah, GA, with little to no snow measured west of I - 95 . Most big snows that impact areas east of the mountains come from extratropical cyclones which approach from the south across Georgia and South Carolina and move off the coast of North or South Carolina . These storms typically throw Gulf or Atlantic moisture over cold Arctic air at ground level, usually propelled southward from Arctic high pressure over the Northeastern or New England states . If the storms track sufficiently far to the east, snow will be limited to the eastern part of the state (as with the December 22 - 23, 1989 storm). If the cyclones travel close to the coast, warm air will get pulled into eastern North Carolina due to increasing flow off the milder Atlantic Ocean, bringing a rain / snow line well inland with heavy snow restricted to the Piedmont, foothills and mountains, as with the January 22, 1987 storm . If the storm tracks inland into eastern North Carolina, the rain / snow line ranges between Raleigh and Greensboro . </P>

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