A rare snowfall before Thanksgiving

Here it is Nov. 21, and I'm watching out the window as snowflakes fall in eastern North Carolina. This whole week has been a chiller. Overnight temperatures in the 30s or below and brisk winds left residents shivering only days after balmy temperatures in the 60s. The cold weather has killed the impatiens and other warm-weather plants in our yard and has brought the feel of winter earlier than in most recent years.

Today's snow shows no sign of sticking. The ground, despite Thursday's chilly temperatures, is much too warm to support frozen precipitation. Nevertheless, this must be the earliest real snow that Wilson has seen in some years. A few snowflakes swirled in the chilled wind Tuesday, but today's snow is more persistent and pervasive. It gives hope that eastern North Carolina might have its first real snow in years. The past two years were busts for snow fans around here.

Eastern North Carolina gets little snow, but one or two measurable snowfalls had been the par for a number of years. The past couple of years have not lived up to tradition. The last really good snow with a blanket of white over the landscape was Dec. 26, 2004, if I remember correctly. It was a beautiful snowfall, and most of it melted by the end of the day. That's the kind of snowfall I like.