RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — On this day 25 years ago, the Triangle received the most snow on record — and the most festive snow day in this area's history.
Snow fell upon the Triangle from January 24th to January 25th, giving us around 20 inches of snow, according to the official recording at the Raleigh-Durham Airport. Throughout the whole Raleigh area, the range of snowfall measured was 18 to 24 inches.
Governor Jim Hunt declared a state of emergency in North Carolina due to the snowstorm and its damages. Multiple 18-wheelers, among other highway traffic, were stuck on I-85 and about 300,000 homes lost power across the state.
The game between the Carolina Hurricanes-Phoenix Coyotes (now the Arizona Coyotes) on Jan. 25th was canceled due to snow conditions. Also, RDU and all universities were completely closed.
This led to a series of festive snow days for families in the Triangle, where schools in the area were closed or delayed for nearly 2 weeks. People in the Triangle were able to do things that rarely happen in the South, like shovel cars out of the snow and building igloos.