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The First 30 Days of Winter Have Felt Like … Well, Winter – with Snow Coverage Still Everywhere

By Nathan Ham

Just one month into the 2020-21 winter season and six weeks into what is considered meteorological winter, the Town of Boone has recorded more snow than the entire winter season in 2019-20. According to the most recent snow data provided by Ray’s Weather Center, Boone has recorded 15.6 inches of snow since December 1, the start of meteorological winter. Since December 21, the start of the winter solstice and the more traditionally defined winter season, Boone has had 13 inches of snow.

In the 2019-20 winter season, Boone received just 9.1 inches of snow with only one day of the entire winter (February 20) receiving more than one inch of snow.

At higher elevations, Sugar Mountain has recorded 50.5 inches of snow. The highest single-day total was on Christmas Day when nine inches of snow fell. Last year, Sugar Mountain had 66.2 inches of snow.

Winter temperatures so far have not been brutally cold, but have stayed cold for long enough stretches of time to keep snow on the ground and to keep the air cold enough for any storm system that comes through to produce snow instead of rain.

According to temperature data from Ray’s Weather, in the month of January so far, Boone has had a high temperature in the 20s twice so far this month, 11 times in the 30s, six times in the 40s, twice in the 50s and one day where the high reached 60 degrees on January 2. At the same time, low temperatures have dipped below 20 degrees just one time on January 10 when the low was a chilly 15 degrees.

Temperatures in Blowing Rock have been a bit colder at night with lows of 19 degrees (January 7), 11 degrees (January 10), 19 degrees (January 11) and 17 degrees (January 13).

Temperatures have been cold but steady at Sugar Mountain as well with highs in the 20s and 30s all but four out of 22 days so far in January. Low temperatures have also not gotten as frigid as normal with lows dropping below 20 degrees just twice this month.

Looking ahead to next week, temperatures will warm up Monday and Tuesday with highs in the upper 40s Monday and lower 50s on Tuesday before temperatures start dropping again just in time for more precipitation to move into the High Country. Rain will fall on Monday, but more moisture will move into the area Wednesday and Thursday. Temperatures will drop Wednesday night as rain turns into a wintry mix before turning to all snow on Thursday.

Pictures from Friday morning from around the Boone area