March Snow: Low in Frequency, Large in Size

Our storm system on the first of March brought snow totals of three to seven inches, with amounts closer to a foot in a few mountain areas. When it comes to weather, many of us in this part of the country don’t always associate March with snow. And, with “average” temperatures that rise quickly over the course of the month, winter events are not very common. But when they occur…look out. Three of the top ten heaviest snow events for the Greenville-Spartanburg area have occurred in March…and this system was not even close to being one of them. We would have needed another four to five inches of snow to have made that list.

With longer days providing increasing warmth, winter weather that occurs in March doesn’t typically stick around. But we still get the occasional cold blast that can provide the chill needed for snow. Combine that with a weather pattern that typically starts sending deeper moisture into our area, it can be easy to generate some heavy snow. That “March warming” can also yield the instability to create “thundersnow”. These are just thunderstorms with snow, and as “typical” thunderstorms produce heavy rain, thundersnow can yield localized, very heavy snow accumulation.

Here’s a look at some of the snow reports from this last system, courtesy of the National Weather Service. If and when more complete reports arrive, I’ll add those totals to the list.

********************STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL********************

LOCATION STORM TOTAL TIME/DATE COMMENTS
SNOWFALL OF
(INCHES) MEASUREMENT

GEORGIA

...ELBERT COUNTY...
ELBERTON 3.0 601 AM 3/2

...FRANKLIN COUNTY...
CARNESVILLE 6.0 602 AM 3/2 5.0 TO 6.0
LAVONIA 2.0 603 PM 3/1

...HART COUNTY...
HARTWELL 8.0 601 AM 3/2 6.0 TO 8.0 IN HARTWELL.

...RABUN COUNTY...
CLAYTON T 930 AM 3/2 1 SSW COOP
MOUNTAIN CITY 0.1 800 AM 3/2 2 SW COOP
DILLARD T 700 AM 3/2 1 NNW COCORAHS

NORTH CAROLINA

...AVERY COUNTY...
FLAT SPRINGS 10.0 900 PM 3/1 2" FROM 7 TO 9PM
GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN 12.0 900 AM 3/2 FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN
FLAT SPRINGS 11.1 700 AM 3/2 1 E COOP
FLAT SPRINGS 3.8 700 AM 3/2 3 NE COCORAHS
BEECH MOUNTAIN 15.0 730 AM 3/2 COOP
BANNER ELK 8.0 800 AM 3/2 COOP
LINVILLE FALLS 4.5 700 AM 3/2 1 NW COCORAHS
NEWLAND 10.1 700 AM 3/2 2 S COOP

...BUNCOMBE COUNTY...
ASHEVILLE 3.0 1000 PM 3/1 UNC ASHEVILLE
BLACK MOUNTAIN 2.5 1130 PM 3/1 W SIDE OF BLACK MTN
ASHEVILLE 8.5 700 AM 3/2 4 NNE COCORAHS
ASHEVILLE 5.8 700 AM 3/2 6 NNW COCORAHS
BARNARDSVILLE 2.4 700 AM 3/2 2 SE COOP
BLACK MOUNTAIN 3.0 700 AM 3/2 2 W COOP
WEAVERVILLE 3.0 700 AM 3/2 5 NNW COCORAHS
ASHEVILLE 3.8 700 AM 3/2 5 ENE COCORAHS
LEICESTER 3.5 700 AM 3/2 6 NW COCORAHS
CANDLER 2.5 700 AM 3/2 3 ENE COCORAHS

...BURKE COUNTY...
MORGANTON 6.0 100 AM 3/2

...CLEVELAND COUNTY...
KINGS MOUNTAIN 9.0 1133 PM 3/1
WACO 5.0 1130 PM 3/1
SHELBY 3.0 136 AM 3/2 10 N

...GRAHAM COUNTY...

ROBBINSVILLE 0.3 700 AM 3/2 2 NNW COCORAHS

...HAYWOOD COUNTY...
CANTON 7.0 900 AM 3/2 3 NE CANTON
CANTON 2.0 700 AM 3/2 1 S COCORAHS
CLYDE 5.0 700 AM 3/2 2 NNW COCORAHS
WAYNESVILLE 3.8 700 AM 3/2 5 NW COCORAHS
WAYNESVILLE 4.5 700 AM 3/2 1 ENE COCORAHS

...HENDERSON COUNTY...
ETOWAH 6.1 830 PM 3/1 3 NW ETOWAH 3100FT
HENDERSONVILLE 3.0 705 PM 3/1 SPOTTER REPORT
FLETCHER 2.0 100 AM 3/2 AVL AIRPORT
FLETCHER 6.0 427 AM 3/2 1 W FLETCHER
ETOWAH 1.8 700 AM 3/2 2 NW COCORAHS
FLAT ROCK 4.0 700 AM 3/2 4 NE COCORAHS

...MACON COUNTY...
FRANKLIN T 700 AM 3/2 COCORAHS

...MADISON COUNTY...
HOT SPRINGS 0.5 700 AM 3/2 COOP
MARS HILL 4.0 700 AM 3/2 5 NNE COCORAHS
MARSHALL 3.0 700 AM 3/2 COOP
MARSHALL 2.7 700 AM 3/2 14 NNW COCORAHS
MARSHALL 2.7 700 AM 3/2 5 WNW COCORAHS

...MCDOWELL COUNTY...
MARION 1.0 700 AM 3/2 2 NNW COCORAHS
OLD FORT 1.0 630 AM 3/2 3 W COOP

...MITCHELL COUNTY...
LITTLE SWITZERLAND 8.7 115 AM 3/2
BAKERSVILLE 9.3 700 AM 3/2 5 N COCORAHS
BAKERSVILLE 5.0 700 AM 3/2 3 SE COCORAHS
BAKERSVILLE 5.9 700 AM 3/2 2 SE COCORAHS

...POLK COUNTY...
SALUDA 12.3 930 PM 3/1
COLUMBUS 4.0 900 AM 3/2
TRYON 1.7 750 AM 3/2 COOP
COLUMBUS 2.0 700 AM 3/2 2 E COCORAHS
COLUMBUS 3.0 700 AM 3/2 7 NNW COCORAHS
SALUDA 8.5 700 AM 3/2 1 N COCORAHS

...RUTHERFORD COUNTY...
FOREST CITY 6.0 830 PM 3/1

...TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY...
BREVARD 1.5 700 AM 3/2 1 NNW COCORAHS
PISGAH FOREST 2.0 700 AM 3/2 2 NE COOP
BLANTYRE 3.0 700 AM 3/2 COOP
BREVARD 0.7 700 AM 3/2 4 S COCORAHS
ROSMAN 0.5 705 AM 3/2 COOP
LAKE TOXAWAY 0.5 800 AM 3/2 2 SW COOP

...YANCEY COUNTY...
BURNSVILLE 3.0 700 AM 3/2 5 N COCORAHS
BURNSVILLE 8.0 700 AM 3/2 7 SSW COCORAHS
BURNSVILLE 6.8 700 AM 3/2 8 SE COCORAHS
BURNSVILLE 9.0 700 AM 3/2 10 SE COCORAHS
MT MITCHELL 16.0 630 AM 3/2 COOP

SOUTH CAROLINA

...ABBEVILLE COUNTY...
ABBEVILLE 2.0 553 AM 3/2
CALHOUN FALLS 0.1 900 AM 3/2 COOP

...ANDERSON COUNTY...
ANDERSON 5.0 1015 PM 3/1 4 TO 5 AROUND CITY
PIEDMONT 5.0 800 PM 3/1
TOWNVILLE 5.0 1246 AM 3/2
ANDERSON COUNTY 4.5 850 PM 3/1
IVA 3.2 700 AM 3/2 5 SSW COCORAHS
SANDY SPRINGS 3.4 700 AM 3/2 2 NE COOP
WILLIAMSTON 5.0 700 AM 3/2 5 W COOP

...CHEROKEE COUNTY...
GAFFNEY 7.0 1120 PM 3/1 10 S GAFFNEY
GAFFNEY 6.0 1010 PM 3/1
GAFFNEY 8.0 954 AM 3/2 DRAYTONVILLE COMMUNITY
BLACKSBURG 7.5 800 AM 3/2 3 NW BLACKSBURG

...CHESTER COUNTY...
CHESTER 3.0 630 AM 3/2 3 TO 6 ACROSS COUNTY

...GREENVILLE COUNTY...
SIMPSONVILLE 6.5 1025 PM 3/1 6.5 E SIMPSONVILLE
GREER 4.4 100 AM 3/2 GSP AIRPORT
MAULDIN 4.0 747 PM 3/1
SIMPSONVILLE 3.5 159 AM 3/2 4 W
TRAVELERS REST 1.8 725 AM 3/2 2 NE COCORAHS
HUNTS BRIDGE 4.0 730 AM 3/2 COOP
TAYLORS 3.8 700 AM 3/2 3 W COCORAHS
GREENVILLE 3.0 700 AM 3/2 COOP
SIMPSONVILLE 4.2 700 AM 3/2 5 N COCORAHS

...GREENWOOD COUNTY...
GREENWOOD 1.5 543 AM 3/2

...LAURENS COUNTY...
LAURENS 4.5 1154 PM 3/1 3 MILES NW OF LAURENS
LAURENS 1.8 1000 AM 3/2

...OCONEE COUNTY...
FAIR PLAY 5.0 630 AM 3/2
SENECA 2.0 700 AM 3/2 3 ENE COCORAHS

...PICKENS COUNTY...
CLEMSON 5.0 630 AM 3/2
EASLEY 3.0 630 AM 3/2
PICKENS 3.0 707 AM 3/2 COOP
TABLE ROCK 4.0 803 AM 3/2 COOP

...SPARTANBURG COUNTY...
PELHAM 4.5 900 PM 3/1 AT WOODRUFF RD&HWY14
BOILING SPRINGS 4.4 1030 PM 3/1
SPARTANBURG 6.0 148 PM 3/2
MOORE 5.3 700 AM 3/2 5 NW COCORAHS
WOODRUFF 4.0 700 AM 3/2 5 NW COOP

...UNION COUNTY...
JONESVILLE 5.0 1044 PM 3/1 4.5 TO 5
BUFFALO 1.0 700 AM 3/2 2 NE COCORAHS

...YORK COUNTY...
ROCK HILL 6.0 630 AM 3/2 5 TO 6
CATAWBA 3.0 700 AM 3/2 COOP
LAKE WYLIE 4.3 700 AM 3/2 2 SW COCORAHS
YORK 4.1 700 AM 3/2 6 E COCORAHS