Winter Wonderland, Part II

As I sit down to write this blog, I'm still reading through the many stories and photos of the 1989 Christmas snow submitted by our viewers last week. Folks shared their memories of snowball fights, collapsing snowmen, and even baby deliveries (yes, baby deliveries). Good or bad, happy or sad, the memories of the '89 snow seem to be permanently etched in the minds of long-time residents. It's no wonder that people still remember it- the 1989 snow was a true meteorological event in every sense of the term. Since reliable records have been kept in the late 1800's, the only "White Christmas" recorded in this part of North Carolina was the '89 snow. Incidentally, we define a true "White Christmas" as having at least an inch of snow. The city of Wilmington picked-up 15.3 inches with the event, and unofficial totals of 2 feet were recorded in surrounding communities. The 1989 snow event was actually a coastal storm -- an intense area of low pressure that strengthened off the Florida coast and moved northeastward. Many weather-wise residents know from experience that some of our biggest snows in eastern NC come from systems that approach from the coast. "Traditional" systems (such as cold fronts) approaching from the west often bring very little snow to our area. There have been several instances where coastal storms have brought measurable snow as late as March, but the Christmas snow of 1989 still holds all of the records locally. And it wasn't just the snow itself that was impressive. Overnight lows tumbled below zero in several areas, including Jacksonville (Onslow County). Wilmington officially reported a morning low of 0 degrees on Christmas morning, the coldest value ever documented in the city. In fact, sub-freezing temperatures were reported as far south as Florida. The extreme weather caused severe crop damage throughout several southern states. They were also many traffic accidents on record, in addition to numerous weather related sickness. But for the most part, eastern North Carolina residents did well for a storm of such magnitude. After all, it's not often that we experience a Christmas in white!