High Point on verge of snowless winter

Paul B. Johnson, The High Point Enterprise, N.C.
·3 min read

Feb. 25—HIGH POINT — The city of High Point is edging closer to a rare weather phenomenon — a winter without measurable snowfall.

So far this season, the High Point area has had only a trace of snow that didn't stick because the ground was too warm.

The last time High Point went through a winter without snow was the winter of 1991-92, National Weather Service meteorologist Aaron Swiggett said. Since 1930, there have been eight winter seasons with no snow or only a trace, according to National Weather Service records.

Late February has featured unseasonably warm days, with Thursday posting a record high temperature of 81 degrees. Today the temperatures will plunge back to the mid-40s for a high and will have scattered rain, and the overnight low will be in the upper 30s, but the rest of February should feature highs in the 60s.

Swiggett said the long-range forecast for March at this point shows mostly above-average temperatures with normal levels of precipitation.

"The outlook for snow does not look great," Swiggett said. "But it only takes one storm with a favorable storm track and you can get some snow."

The last measurable snowfall in the city took place Jan. 29, 2022, when nearly 2 inches fell, Swiggett told The High Point Enterprise.

The High Point area hasn't lacked wet weather this winter, it just hasn't come during freezing temperatures. The city has recorded 7.13 inches of rain so far in 2023, compared to 5.56 inches during the same period last year.

This past Christmastime, High Point had several days of bitter cold temperatures, with lows in the single digits and several days where the high remained below freezing or just above it. But there was no moisture in the atmosphere to generate snow.

The city of High Point averages 8.7 inches of snow for a winter season, according to National Weather Service records dating back to the start of the 20th century. The bulk of snow falls during January and February, 5.6 inches for both months combined.

The historical average for March is 1.7 inches, with the remainder of High Point's snow falling in November and December.

There have been recent years when March produced decent snowfalls, Swiggett

said, such as 5 inches in March 2018 and nearly 5 inches in March 2014.

The lack of snow this winter has brought a fiscal benefit to the city of High Point, specifically the Public Services Department. The department, which heads snow removal, has saved money this winter.

For example, the city budgeted $87,500 for road salt but hasn't had to spend that, said Public Services Director Robby Stone.

There's also savings from not having to pay overtime to snow-removal crews, reduced wear and tear on snow trucks and reduced vehicle fuel use, Stone said.

Once the calendar turns to April, measurable snowfalls are the most unusual of weather developments. Swiggett said that the last report of snow in April in the High Point area dates back to 1915, when 8 inches fell.

pjohnson@hpenews.com — 336-888-3528 — @HPEpaul