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Snow looks beautiful, almost magical when it falls. Small, white flakes gently float to the ground, covering the harshness of winter with a soft white blanket. It also brings with it a peaceful silence and the serenity you feel seeing the world outside your window covered in undisturbed snow.
Of course, snow also brings school and business closings, icy roads, sliding cars, and accidents – and we have already seen a couple of small snowfalls this winter. Can we expect more this year? How often and how much does it snow in Winston-Salem? What are some things you can do when there is snow on the ground? We try to answer some of these questions.
How Much Does It Snow In Winston-Salem?
As a transplanted northerner, I thought Winston-Salem received very little snow in the winter, so I left my snow shovel in New Jersey. I was surprised in 2014, the year after I moved here when we had a total of 15.3 inches of snow for that year. I was glad I had brought my snow boots. Then, in 2018, we had 25.3 inches! I thought I had left the big snowstorms in NJ. While those are a couple of the recent extreme years, we also have had winters with little or no snow. Here is a list of the yearly snowfall totals in inches for the past 10 years:
- 2025: 2.5″ YTD
- 2024: 0.4″
- 2023: 0.0″
- 2022: 8.2″
- 2021: 1.2″
- 2020: 2.0″
- 2019: 0.0″
- 2018: 25.3″
- 2017: 10.2″
- 2016: 4.5″
- 2015: 9.6″
According to NOAA records, the most snow Winston-Salem, NC, has ever received in a single calendar year is 31.7 inches, which occurred in 1960. We received 11 inches in one late snowfall that year, on March 9. The most snow Winston-Salem received in a single storm also occurred in March 1927, on March 2. It snowed 16 inches in the city, with reports of up to 20 inches in some areas.
Why Is The Snowfall Erratic?
Winston-Salem is located on a plateau between the Appalachians to the west and a coastal plain and the ocean to the east. The mountains protect the area from the cold air masses that move in from the Midwest and Canada, so the snow-bearing clouds rarely make it over the range. We get more snow every few years due to a global weather cycle lasting between two and seven years called El Nino and the Southern Oscillation, ENSO, that rises in the Pacific. It brings precipitation overland from the east, passing the mountains to the North Carolina coastline, and causes the winds to shift so far east that large cold air masses move across the coastal plain, bringing snow.
Snow Activities
Playing In The Snow
If you are like me, when it snows, you bundle up on the couch with a blanket and a cup of hot coffee and read or binge-watch TV shows. Some people, though, enjoy the cold weather and like to get out in the snow and have fun. So what can you do? Build a snowman! Rolling the snow into big balls, stacking them, and building a snowman or two is always fun. Two rocks for eyes, a carrot nose, a big silly grin, stick arms, and maybe a scarf. It’s a great way for parents to spend time with their kids and have something lasting to look at until the weather warms up.
Sledding and Snowball Fights
Sledding is a must if there is enough snow and a hill nearby. The fast, thrilling slide down the mountain is worth the long trudge back up to do it again. No hill nearby, make a slight rise in your yard with some snow, and take mini rides at home. A good, old-fashioned snowball fight is sure to happen at some point when there is snow on the ground. It starts with one person throwing a snowball, and soon, everyone dodges a barrage of snowballs.
Ice Skating
Snow and cold weather is a great time to go ice skating. Public skating is available at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds, 414 Deacon Blvd, Winston-Salem. Skating is available on certain days from December through March 1. Admission is $10 ($12 in Dec and Jan) and $3 for skate rental. See the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds Ice Skating Page for dates they are open.
Skiing, Snowboarding, And Tubing
If you are looking for snowy fun, even when there is no snow here in Winston-Salem, you could go skiing, snowboarding, or snow tubing at a nearby resort. Appalachian Ski Mountain in Blowing Rock, NC, offers skiing and snowboarding. Children 6-12 and seniors over 60 get discounts, as do families with active military members. Children under age 6 can ski free with a ticketed adult. Beech Mountain Resort, located in Beech Mountain, NC, features skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. In addition, there is a sledding hill and a freestyle terrain park. They are also the only ski resort with a brewery and an attached restaurant. Sugar Mountain Resort, Sugar Mountain, NC, offers skiing, snowboarding, and snow tubing. Snowshoeing is also available. They have the longest ski runs in NC and 8 beginner slopes for newbies. Juniors 5-11 get a discounted rate. See more information about Ski Resorts.
Can We Expect More Snow This Year?
Everyone wonders if this will be one of those snowy years in Winston-Salem. It is difficult to see any pattern in the past years’ snowfalls. The snow period in our area runs from November 29 through March 16, so we still have plenty of time for more of the white stuff. Records show that the month with the most snow in Winston-Salem is February, with an average snowfall of 3.4 inches. And let’s not forget that the snowest in a single storm happened in March! We will have to keep our snow boots handy and wait and see what the next two months bring.
Inside Activities For Snow Days
Winston-Salem has plenty of things to offer if you or your kids are looking for something to do on a snowy day that is not outdoor fun. Visit a museum, relax, and take in the history, culture, art, or innovation. Stop in an art gallery and enjoy the works of local artists or craftsmen, and perhaps find a piece to enhance your home. Take the kids to a Trampoline Park and let them discharge some of that energy while you relax and watch them having fun.
What do you like to do on a snowy day? Tell us in the comments.
