**Updated
5/23/05**
One of the great blizzards in NC and southeast VA history occurred in early March 1980. This is one of the top snowstorms in eastern
NC history. Like the 1979 storm, what made this storm remarkable was the combination of snow, high winds, and very cold temps.
Below is the accumulation map for NC from the National Weather Service in Raleigh.
March 1st 1980.
March 2nd 1980.
couple of days this vortex dropped into southern Quebec and northern New England with a very cold air mass associated with it. Also notice
the ridge over western Canada, and in later images you will see more closely the s/w that comes ashore into California underneath this ridge. Overall
I would describe the pre-storm pattern as a +PNA pattern, with a -NAO signature as a ridge shows up between the UK and Iceland, and
plenty of cross-polar flow. There is also an active split stream as the jet splits around 165W.
500mb Heights NH:
2/27/80.
2/28/80.
2/29/880. 
3/1/80. 
3/2/80.
the evolution of this storm. On the first map, 12z on 2/27 you can see the two s/w one across far northern Canada and the second
off shore of California. As you follow the progression of the s/w's, you can see the pacific s/w splits as it moves on-shore on the
west coast, with a piece of the energy riding into British Columbia, and another piece slipping under the western Canadian ridge into
central California and to the 4 corners region by the 29th. Also note that by 00z on the 29th, we see yet another s/w introduced far to the north over
Baffin Island. The arctic s/w is crossing the Canadian border into North Dakota on the 29th. Note the position of the s/w's at 15z on the 29th. At this time they are all 3 still separate entities, but overnight on the 29th and the morning of the 1st, the two s/w's to the south appear to phase with the arctic s/w appearing to be the dominant s/w. At 12z on the 1st, a large area of snow had broken out ahead of this across Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, WV, and Virginia and rain was occurring across most of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, with snow on the northern fringe. While it appears a bit of energy
from the Pacific s/w, moves across TN, KY, VA and NC, it is obvious that there is one main and potent s/w by the afternoon of the 1st diving
into Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi. But also note the third s/w now diving into the Great Lakes region. The precipitation that occurred on the
1st across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast was associated with the overrunning setup caused by the impulse across the Deep
South. But as this third s/w gets involved, we see the southern system slow down and become neutrally tilted by the morning of the 2nd, and also become a cut-off
500mb low. As the northern s/w continues to interact and phase with this, the system intensifies and becomes negative tilted by the afternoon of the 2nd and we
see the coastal low form along the coastal front overnight on the 1st and the morning of the 2nd.. At 12z on the 2nd snow was falling across Alabama, Georgia, north Florida, eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and southern Virginia. It was during the day on the 2nd, when the very heavy snowfall occurred across NC.
500mb Heights vs Vorticity:
2/27/80 12z
2/28/80 00z 
2/28/80 12z 
2/29/80 00z 
2/29/80 15z
3/1/80 00z 
3/1/80 12z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z
3/3/80 00z 
3/3/80 03z 
3/3/80 09z 
3/3/80 15z
and the second from Mexico into the western Gulf and with the core of it across the eastern Gulf Coast into northern Florida at 100+ kt. At 6z on the 1st
I have circled an area that lies in a favorable area for maximum lift. In this circle, the areas lie in the right rear entrance region of the jet streak across the NE, and also in the left front exit region of the jet streak across Florida. I again reference this link Jet Streak Dynamics for an explanation of jet streak dynamics. This region
propagates across the Tennessee valley and across the lower Mid-Atlantic on the 1st and 2nd, and seems to be an area where enhanced precipitation occurred. I have also included the 250mb divergence maps, which show an area of strong divergence propagate across the lower Ohio Valley and Southeast US.
250mb Winds:
2/29/80 21z
3/1/80 06z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/3/80 00z 
250mb Divergence:
3/2/80 03z
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 03z 
One of the great blizzards in NC and southeast VA history occurred in early March 1980. This is one of the top snowstorms in eastern
NC history. Like the 1979 storm, what made this storm remarkable was the combination of snow, high winds, and very cold temps.
Below is the accumulation map for NC from the National Weather Service in Raleigh.
| City, State | Snow (inches) | City, State | Snow (inches) | City, State | Snow (inches) | City, State | Snow (inches) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville, NC | 22 |
Loris, SC | 7 | Athens, GA | 3.3 | Gatlinburg, TN |
6 |
| Elizabeth City, NC | 18 | Florence, SC | 6.7 | Atlanta, GA | 2.7 | Knoxville, TN |
3.5 |
| Wilson, NC | 16.3 | Anderson, SC | 4.7 |
Toccoa, GA | 1.5 | Nashville, TN |
3.1 |
| Jackson, NC | 16.2 | Columbia, SC | 4.1 | Warrenton, GA | 1.5 | |
|
| Greenville, NC | 16 | Georgetown, SC | 4 | Augusta, GA | 1.1 | ||
| Durham, NC | 15 | Greenwood, SC | 3 | Macon, GA | 1.1 | ||
| Chapel Hill, NC | 12 | Orangeburg, SC | 2 | Columbus, GA | 1 | ||
| Roxboro, NC | 12 | Charlestown, SC | 1.3 | ||||
| Oxford, NC | 12 | ||||||
| Lewiston, NC | 11.8 |
||||||
| Kinston, NC | 11.5 |
|
|
||||
| Raleigh, NC | 11.1 |
||||||
| Fayetteville, NC | 11 |
||||||
| Pope AFB, NC | 9.3 |
||||||
| Whiteville, NC | 8 |
|
|||||
| Greensboro, NC | 7.9 | |
|||||
| Hickory, NC | 7 |
|
|||||
| Charlotte, NC | 6.8 | |
|||||
| Wilmington, NC | 6.6 | |
|||||
| Monroe, NC | 6.3 |
|
|||||
| Boone, NC | 5 | |
|||||
| Shelby, NC | 5 | |
|||||
| Asheville, NC | 4.5 | |
Quick Overview
I will start with the maps from the NOAA central library for March 1st
and 2nd for a quick overview.March 1st 1980.
March 2nd 1980.
Northern Hemisphere 500mb Pattern Discussion
Here are the 500mb NH maps. On the first map 12z 2/27 notice the very
cold 498dm polar vortex across southeast Hudson Bay. Over the nextcouple of days this vortex dropped into southern Quebec and northern New England with a very cold air mass associated with it. Also notice
the ridge over western Canada, and in later images you will see more closely the s/w that comes ashore into California underneath this ridge. Overall
I would describe the pre-storm pattern as a +PNA pattern, with a -NAO signature as a ridge shows up between the UK and Iceland, and
plenty of cross-polar flow. There is also an active split stream as the jet splits around 165W.
500mb Heights NH:
2/27/80.
2/28/80.
2/29/880. 
3/1/80. 
3/2/80.
North
American 500mb Synoptic Discussion
Let's take a look at the 500mb heights and vorticity to get an idea of
what happened. I have drawn the axis of two important s/w's at the
beginning ofthe evolution of this storm. On the first map, 12z on 2/27 you can see the two s/w one across far northern Canada and the second
off shore of California. As you follow the progression of the s/w's, you can see the pacific s/w splits as it moves on-shore on the
west coast, with a piece of the energy riding into British Columbia, and another piece slipping under the western Canadian ridge into
central California and to the 4 corners region by the 29th. Also note that by 00z on the 29th, we see yet another s/w introduced far to the north over
Baffin Island. The arctic s/w is crossing the Canadian border into North Dakota on the 29th. Note the position of the s/w's at 15z on the 29th. At this time they are all 3 still separate entities, but overnight on the 29th and the morning of the 1st, the two s/w's to the south appear to phase with the arctic s/w appearing to be the dominant s/w. At 12z on the 1st, a large area of snow had broken out ahead of this across Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, WV, and Virginia and rain was occurring across most of Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia, with snow on the northern fringe. While it appears a bit of energy
from the Pacific s/w, moves across TN, KY, VA and NC, it is obvious that there is one main and potent s/w by the afternoon of the 1st diving
into Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Mississippi. But also note the third s/w now diving into the Great Lakes region. The precipitation that occurred on the
1st across the Ohio and Tennessee Valley, Mid-Atlantic, and Southeast was associated with the overrunning setup caused by the impulse across the Deep
South. But as this third s/w gets involved, we see the southern system slow down and become neutrally tilted by the morning of the 2nd, and also become a cut-off
500mb low. As the northern s/w continues to interact and phase with this, the system intensifies and becomes negative tilted by the afternoon of the 2nd and we
see the coastal low form along the coastal front overnight on the 1st and the morning of the 2nd.. At 12z on the 2nd snow was falling across Alabama, Georgia, north Florida, eastern Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, and southern Virginia. It was during the day on the 2nd, when the very heavy snowfall occurred across NC.
500mb Heights vs Vorticity:
2/27/80 12z
2/28/80 00z 
2/28/80 12z 
2/29/80 00z 
2/29/80 15z
3/1/80 00z 
3/1/80 12z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z
3/3/80 00z 
3/3/80 03z 
3/3/80 09z 
3/3/80 15z
250mb Discussion
An analysis of the jet at 250mb shows two distinct jet streaks present.
At 21z on the 29th you can see the two jet streaks the first a 120+kt
jet across PA and NJ and the second from Mexico into the western Gulf and with the core of it across the eastern Gulf Coast into northern Florida at 100+ kt. At 6z on the 1st
I have circled an area that lies in a favorable area for maximum lift. In this circle, the areas lie in the right rear entrance region of the jet streak across the NE, and also in the left front exit region of the jet streak across Florida. I again reference this link Jet Streak Dynamics for an explanation of jet streak dynamics. This region
propagates across the Tennessee valley and across the lower Mid-Atlantic on the 1st and 2nd, and seems to be an area where enhanced precipitation occurred. I have also included the 250mb divergence maps, which show an area of strong divergence propagate across the lower Ohio Valley and Southeast US.
250mb Winds:
2/29/80 21z
3/1/80 06z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/3/80 00z 
250mb Divergence:
3/2/80 03z
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 03z 
Surface/850mb Discussion:
The storm began as a
round of warm advection precipitation associated with the overrunning
setup across the southeast. The precipitation was in the form of
ice/snow in most of Tennessee, NW Georgia, the northern half of SC, and
most of
NC outside the immediate coastal sections. This is the time period of
the
storm when Tennessee saw it's snowfall and there were some light
accumulations in the NW Georgia and Carolinas areas as well. However
the heaviest precip fell as the system became negatively tilted and the
coastal developed the night of the 1st and during the day on the 2nd.
Rain/ice changed to snow across most of Georgia and the southern half
of SC, as well as coastal areas of the Carolinas late on the 1st and on
the 2nd.
Let's look at the 850mb RH maps. Although this is not a perfect representaion of where the precip was, it can represent it somewhat well, as well as show you where the low clouds were. You can see the warm advection precip band across most of the Deep South and Southeast at 12z on the 1st. This mass of precipitation tracks across the Southeast, and by 3z on the 2nd, you begin to see the RH field begin to take on the appearance of a comma shape across Georgia and the Carolinas. This then tracks E and exist the coast by 3z on the 3rd.
850mb RH (Shaded > 70%):
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 15z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z
3/3/80 03z 
Next up, we will look at the 850mb Temperature and the sea level pressure. At 0z on the 29th we can see the arctic high at 1044mb across Manitoba
and the arctic front through the Mid-Atlantic and moving into the southeast, with -30 to -32 C 850mb Temps moving into the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Thru time the high strengthens to 1052mb and sinks into the Northern Plains as the front sags to the Gulf Coast and offshore of the east coast and becomes stationary as arctic air grips most of the country at 35N and north. Recall from the earlier discussion, that aloft an overrunning pattern develops and we begin to see this type pattern reflected in the surface features. Normally in an overrunning setup like this, we will see several "zipper" lows form along the boundary along the Gulf and quickly move east and northeast. In this case we do see this, as we also see two significant troughs set up with an inverted trough across the Southeast US, and also we see a coastal front begin to develop off the Carolina coast. For most of the day on the 1st, these zipper lows and the inverted trough across the Southeast served as the focal point for precipitaion. By the wee hours of the morning of the 2nd, around 6z, we begin to see some coastal mischief. As one low develops with a pressure of 1005-1006mb and zips off to the northeast, but notice the "bagginess" to the isobars behind this low just off the Southeast coast. At this time the 500mb s/w had cutoff and was beginning to initiate cyclogensis along the coastal front boundary. As this was occuring cold air poured in behind and most areas changed to snow on the 2nd, as the low slowly strengthened and slowly moved ENE. Eventually the low bombed out early on the 3rd as it moved away with the pressure into the low 980'smb.
850mb T and SLP:
2/29/80 0z
2/29/80 18z 
3/1/80 0z 
3/1/80 6z 
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 15z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 0z
3/2/80 3z 
3/2/80 6z 
3/2/80 9z 
3/2/80 12z
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 0z
3/3/80 6z 
3/3/80 12z 
Now the surface pressure along with surface temperatures. Keep in mind again, that this is gridded data, and usually in abnormally cold or warm weather, the gridded data (32km for the NARR data) will miss mesoscale features and underestimate the strength of the cold or warmth. One thing that is obvious, as pointed out above, is that there is some difficulty in pin-pointing exactly where the surface lows are at a given time, untill the main low gets going during the morning of the 2nd. Basically along the stationary boundary along the gulf coast, (which dissipates late on the 1st), there are several areas where lower pressure appears along with some cyclonic flow to the surface winds. But the main focus of the precip during this time period was the inverted trough across Alabama and Georgia. You can also easily see the pronounced cold air damming signature to the pressure contours and the northeast surface winds in the Carolinas and into Georgia. Although I wouldnt focus too closesly on the 32 F isotherm, you can see the "CAD" signature is very strong, and the freezing line pushes will into Georgia by early in the morning of the 2nd. During the morning of the 2nd, we begin to see a transition as the inverted trough weakens and shifts into South Carolina, and we see a "bagginess" to the isobars off the Carolina coast. This is indicative of a secondary low forming just off the Carolina coast and most of the precipitation shifts into the Carolinas. By late in the afternoon on the 2nd, we see a well formed 999mb low east of Wilmington, tracking ENE and out to sea.
Surface Temperature and Pressure:
3/1/80 6z
3/1/80 12z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z 
3/3/80 03z
Next we will look at the 850mb Heights and Winds, so we can see the nature and location of the 850mb low as well as the low level jet associated with this storm. At 12z and 18z on the 1st, the 850mb low is back over central Tennessee with southerly flow at 850mb of 30 to 40kt. This jet probably helped aid the precipitation development on the 1st across Georgia and the Carolinas. By observing the closed height contours as well as the counterclockwise rotation center to the winds, we can follow the track of the 850 low across the southeast. The low tracks west to east across the mountains on the border of TN/NC and then emerges right over Hickory at 9z on the 2nd. The low then deepens and moves very slow across southern NC and northern SC during the day on the 2nd. This is when the heaviest precip was falling across NC.
850mb Heights and Winds:
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z 
Let's look at the 850mb RH maps. Although this is not a perfect representaion of where the precip was, it can represent it somewhat well, as well as show you where the low clouds were. You can see the warm advection precip band across most of the Deep South and Southeast at 12z on the 1st. This mass of precipitation tracks across the Southeast, and by 3z on the 2nd, you begin to see the RH field begin to take on the appearance of a comma shape across Georgia and the Carolinas. This then tracks E and exist the coast by 3z on the 3rd.
850mb RH (Shaded > 70%):
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 15z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z
3/3/80 03z 
Next up, we will look at the 850mb Temperature and the sea level pressure. At 0z on the 29th we can see the arctic high at 1044mb across Manitoba
and the arctic front through the Mid-Atlantic and moving into the southeast, with -30 to -32 C 850mb Temps moving into the Great Lakes and Northeast.
Thru time the high strengthens to 1052mb and sinks into the Northern Plains as the front sags to the Gulf Coast and offshore of the east coast and becomes stationary as arctic air grips most of the country at 35N and north. Recall from the earlier discussion, that aloft an overrunning pattern develops and we begin to see this type pattern reflected in the surface features. Normally in an overrunning setup like this, we will see several "zipper" lows form along the boundary along the Gulf and quickly move east and northeast. In this case we do see this, as we also see two significant troughs set up with an inverted trough across the Southeast US, and also we see a coastal front begin to develop off the Carolina coast. For most of the day on the 1st, these zipper lows and the inverted trough across the Southeast served as the focal point for precipitaion. By the wee hours of the morning of the 2nd, around 6z, we begin to see some coastal mischief. As one low develops with a pressure of 1005-1006mb and zips off to the northeast, but notice the "bagginess" to the isobars behind this low just off the Southeast coast. At this time the 500mb s/w had cutoff and was beginning to initiate cyclogensis along the coastal front boundary. As this was occuring cold air poured in behind and most areas changed to snow on the 2nd, as the low slowly strengthened and slowly moved ENE. Eventually the low bombed out early on the 3rd as it moved away with the pressure into the low 980'smb.
850mb T and SLP:
2/29/80 0z
2/29/80 18z 
3/1/80 0z 
3/1/80 6z 
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 15z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 0z
3/2/80 3z 
3/2/80 6z 
3/2/80 9z 
3/2/80 12z
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 0z
3/3/80 6z 
3/3/80 12z 
Now the surface pressure along with surface temperatures. Keep in mind again, that this is gridded data, and usually in abnormally cold or warm weather, the gridded data (32km for the NARR data) will miss mesoscale features and underestimate the strength of the cold or warmth. One thing that is obvious, as pointed out above, is that there is some difficulty in pin-pointing exactly where the surface lows are at a given time, untill the main low gets going during the morning of the 2nd. Basically along the stationary boundary along the gulf coast, (which dissipates late on the 1st), there are several areas where lower pressure appears along with some cyclonic flow to the surface winds. But the main focus of the precip during this time period was the inverted trough across Alabama and Georgia. You can also easily see the pronounced cold air damming signature to the pressure contours and the northeast surface winds in the Carolinas and into Georgia. Although I wouldnt focus too closesly on the 32 F isotherm, you can see the "CAD" signature is very strong, and the freezing line pushes will into Georgia by early in the morning of the 2nd. During the morning of the 2nd, we begin to see a transition as the inverted trough weakens and shifts into South Carolina, and we see a "bagginess" to the isobars off the Carolina coast. This is indicative of a secondary low forming just off the Carolina coast and most of the precipitation shifts into the Carolinas. By late in the afternoon on the 2nd, we see a well formed 999mb low east of Wilmington, tracking ENE and out to sea.
Surface Temperature and Pressure:
3/1/80 6z
3/1/80 12z 
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 00z
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z
3/2/80 18z 
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z 
3/3/80 03z
| Time | Weather | Temp (F) | Winds | Visibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8am | Light Sleet Shower |
21 |
NE 11kt | 10 miles |
| 9am | Cloudy | 20 | NE 13kt | 10 miles |
| 10am | Light Snow | 20 |
NE 11kt | 3 miles |
| 11am | Light Snow | 18 | NE 11kt | 2.5 miles |
| Noon | Light Snow | 18 | NE 9kt | 6 miles |
| 1pm | Light Sleet Shower mixed with Snow |
17 | NE 11kt | 1 mile |
| 2pm | Light Sleet Shower mixed with Snow |
17 | NE 13kt | 0.81 mile |
| 3pm | Moderate Snow | 16 | NNE 10kt | 0.38 mile |
| 4pm | Light Snow | 15 | N 11kt | 1.25 miles |
| 5pm | Light Snow | 14 | N 11kt | 2 miles |
| 6pm | Light Snow Grains |
13 | NE 16kt | 2 miles |
| 7pm | Light Snow Grains |
12 | NE 14kt | 2 miles |
| 8pm | Light Snow Grains |
12 | NNE 14kt | 2 miles |
| 9pm | Light Snow | 12 | N 11kt | 2 miles |
| 10pm | Light Snow | 12 | N 14kt | 2 miles |
| 11pm | Light Snow | 12 | NNE 10kt | 2 miles |
| Midnight 3/2 |
Light Snow | 12 | N 14kt | 1 mile |
| 1am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 11 | N 11kt | 1 mile |
| 2am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 12 | N 15kt | 1 mile |
| 3am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 12 | N 11kt | 1 mile |
| 4am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 13 | NNE 17kt | 10 miles |
| 5am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 13 | NNE 17kt | 2 miles |
| 6am 3/2 |
Light Snow |
13 |
N 17kt | 2 miles |
| 7am 3/2 |
Light Snow |
14 |
N 21kt | 2 miles |
| 8am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 15 |
NNE 17kt | 2 miles |
| 9am 3/2 |
Light Snow | 15 | N 14kt | 1 mile |
| 10am 3/2 |
Heavy Snow | 15 | NNE 17kt | 0.25 mile |
| 11am 3/2 |
Heavy Snow | 15 | NNW 16kt | 0.12 mile |
| Noon 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 14 | N 16kt | 0.5 mile |
| 1pm 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 14 | N 16kt | 0.38 mile |
| 2pm 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 14 | N 17kt | 0.38 mile |
| 3pm 3/2 |
Cloudy | 14 | NNE 22kt | 0.31 mile |
| 4pm 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 14 | N 20kt | 0.31 mile |
| 5pm 3/2 |
Heavy Snow | 14 | N 16kt | 0.19 mile |
| 6pm 3/2 |
Heavy Snow | 15 | N 18kt | 0.19 mile |
| 7pm 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 15 | NNW 14kt | 0.5 mile |
| 8pm 3/2 |
Moderate Snow | 15 | NNW 11kt | 0.5 mile |
| 9pm 3/2 |
Light Snow | 17 | NNW 16kt | 10 miles |
Next we will look at the 850mb Heights and Winds, so we can see the nature and location of the 850mb low as well as the low level jet associated with this storm. At 12z and 18z on the 1st, the 850mb low is back over central Tennessee with southerly flow at 850mb of 30 to 40kt. This jet probably helped aid the precipitation development on the 1st across Georgia and the Carolinas. By observing the closed height contours as well as the counterclockwise rotation center to the winds, we can follow the track of the 850 low across the southeast. The low tracks west to east across the mountains on the border of TN/NC and then emerges right over Hickory at 9z on the 2nd. The low then deepens and moves very slow across southern NC and northern SC during the day on the 2nd. This is when the heaviest precip was falling across NC.
850mb Heights and Winds:
3/1/80 12z
3/1/80 18z 
3/1/80 21z 
3/2/80 03z 
3/2/80 06z
3/2/80 09z 
3/2/80 12z 
3/2/80 15z 
3/2/80 18z
3/2/80 21z 
3/3/80 00z 
Summary:
For the second straight winter a
signficant winter storm with very cold temperatures, high winds, and
heavy snow effected the southeast, in a somewhat similar fashion to the
"President's Day" storm of 1979. This was a major snowstorm for NC/VA,
and a significant one for SC as well. The storm began as an overrunning
setup on the 1st, as a strong 500mb trough was carved out across the
lower Mississippi Valley. By the 2nd, as the trough strengthened and
eventually cut-off, secondary cyclogenesis occurred along the coastal
front off the Carolina coast, with the upper support of the closed low
moving over along with the surface low off shore, a large area of heavy
snow occurred across Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia and slowly
moved off shore overnight on the 2nd. It is a storm that will live in
the memories of those that expereienced it.