Raise your hand if you remember Charlotte’s great snowfall of 2004. 🙋
ICYMI (or were just a wee snowflake at the time), here’s what happened: Snow started falling around 12 p.m. on Feb. 26, 2004, and the city came to a standstill when everyone left work and school at the same time. Another wave of snow fell overnight, into Feb. 27.
It was a record-setting storm, with 11.6 inches of snow falling in Charlotte — the third-largest one-day total on record. The snow accumulation at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was 13.2 inches — the third-biggest in city history.
Neighboring Rock Hill, SC measured up to 22 inches. It was York County’s largest snowfall on record and a top-three storm in South Carolina state history.
Here are some more snowtable fast facts about Charlotte’s relationship with snow days.
❄️ Other heavy snowfalls Charlotte experienced:
- 17.4 inches | Feb. 14-17, 1902
- 13.3 inches | March 1-3, 1927
- 13.2 inches | Feb. 15-17, 1969
❄️ The earliest snowfall:
- The earliest seasonal snowfall in Charlotte happened on Nov. 11, 1968.
❄️ The latest snowfall:
- The latest in the season it has snowed in Charlotte happened on April 20, 1904.
And before you start Instacarting the milk, bread, and eggs this year, the National Weather Service predicts Charlotte could receive an increased potential for below-normal precipitation during the 2025-2026 winter. Keep in mind — these predictions don’t mean zero chance Charlotte will see snow this winter.
