Yesterday North Carolina witnessed its first official snowfall of the season atop Mount Mitchell in Yancey County.
Here’s a video taken yesterday showing the snow flurries at the top of the mountain:
Although wind whipped the flakes, the National Weather Service said no significant accumulation was expected.
We are continuing to see more and more unusual weather as many believe the first La Niña in almost five years is beginning to materialize.
Rainfall from Hurricane Matthew did, in fact, reach “thousand-year rainfall” criteria, according to NOAA. This is the 6th thousand-year flood to strike the USA since October, 2015.
In sprite of the first snow having already fallen, however, La Niña might actually be a good thing for the South East. “Forecasters at NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center issued the U.S. Winter Outlook today, saying that La Nina is expected to influence winter conditions this year. The Climate Prediction Center issued a La Nina watch this month, predicting the climate phenomenon is likely to develop in late fall or early winter. La Nina favors drier, warmer winters in the southern U.S and wetter, cooler conditions in the northern U.S.”