CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- One of the biggest snowstorms in Charlotte history happened on this date 14 years ago.
The snow started falling around noon February 26, 2004 and the city came to a standstill when everyone left work and school at the same time.
There were two waves of snow with the storm. The first wave hit during the day and another at night into February 27. Thunder snow was reported several times during the storm.
"I remember it so vividly, driving to work the morning of the 27th with my Jeep in 4×4 mode and the snow being over a foot deep on most of the roads on the way into the station," Chief Meteorologist Brad Panovich said. "The city and county at the time only had like four plows and the snow was so deep people were just bottoming out their cars. You actually needed a plow, not brine or salt, to get this heavy snow off the roads."
It was a record setting storm. On Feb 26, 2004 a record 11.6 inches of snow was recorded in Charlotte. This was also the third largest one-day total on record. The storm total at the Charlotte Airport was 13.2 inches, the third biggest storm in city history.
"The heaviest amounts were just south of Uptown Charlotte in south Charlotte and into York County. Rock Hill and Winthrop University recorded," Panovich said.
About 22 inches of snow was recorded in that area. It was York County's largest snowfall on record and a top three storm in South Carolina state history.
