| Category 3 "Major" (RSI: 7.21) | |
 The winter storm on December 11, 2017 | |
| Type |
Extratropical cyclone Nor'easter |
|---|---|
| Formed | December 9, 2017 |
| Dissipated | December 14, 2017 |
| Lowest pressure | 978 mb (28.88 inHg) |
| Highest gust | 75 mph (reported in Raleigh, NC) |
| Maximum snowfall or ice accretion | 22.1" - Raleigh, North Carolina |
| Damage | $20 million (2017 USD) |
| Power outages | At least 120,000 |
| Casualties | 6 fatalities |
The December 2017 United States blizzard was a rare and unusual winter storm that brought blizzard conditions to the Southeastern and mid-Atlantic United States in December 2017. The storm was known as Winter Storm Cora by The Weather Channel, the earliest named winter storm to strike North Carolina on record.
Meteorological History[]
On December 9, 2017, an area of low pressure developed over the central Gulf of Mexico. The low began to deepen as it tracked northeastward, with the low pressure center becoming better defined on December 10 as it tracked over the Bahamas. The low began to take a northward turn, moving more inland than expected. Rain began to change to snow in the cyclone's northern quadrant as the low neared South Carolina. Due to warm waters of the Gulf Stream, the cyclone underwent bombogenesis and rapidly strengthened. Heavy snow began to fall in areas of central North Carolina by early on December 11. The peak of the snowfall was in a narrow band near Raleigh, NC, which recorded thundersnow and an estimated total snowfall of 22.1 inches - the largest snowfall on record for the city. During the thunderstorm, a gust of 75 mph - hurricane force - was reported at RDU airport. The "snow line" of the system was right around Interstate 95, with most areas to the northwest receiving snow and most areas to the southeast receiving rain. There was a sharp temperature contrast over North Carolina, with a temperature of 23°F near Greensboro but a temperature of 58°F near Wilmington.
The low began to move northeast and out to sea as the result of a strong trough, bringing moderate impacts to the mid-Atlantic states with a minimal impact on New England States, which only received snow flurries.